Marriage Menace
by mizusenjo02
Summary: RyoSaku. She moved on after his bitter answer and promised to herself to live a serene life from that day on. Yet the trouble began as she met her husband to be…
1. A Life After Yesterday's Misery

**STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLIED.**

**Note:** Well hello there. I know this might have been late, and you might be thinking, "Wow, that's stupid. You took two years before you realize that the story's really nasty..." yadda yadda, but yes, I would edit this entire thing. Not out of selfish reasons but for the sake of, well, maybe improving.

Ah, before you react something like, "So, do I know you?" or "Do you even have the right to edit this stuff?" 'lemme introduce myself. I'm _Kemi_(yes, **Kemi-chii**), one of the writers of this co-write project. I've been meaning to start re-editing this one since last year (i.e., the story's grammar/spelling problems, sentence construction, characterization/OOC-ness, etc.), but of course, a lot of factors stopped me from doing so. Ah, don't ask. Long story.

Just to make it clear. Marriage Menace is **Future-Set**, **not AU**, as what I'm insisting before. Sorry, my bad.

But anyway, on behalf of **matsukanishi09**, I want to sincerely thank each and everyone who supported the story from the start. My co-writer (which I believe is feeling the same way too) and I were really surprised on how FanFiction writers/readers welcomed Marriage Menace. Giving your precious time reading /and/ reviewing was more than enough. Thank you, really.

Now, to compensate that, I would do my best to make this fiction worthy to read. :) But of course, it might still contain errors (probably the ones I still missed), so don't expect much please.

Well, uh…thanks for understanding, and by all means, read on.

* * *

**I. **_A Life after Yesterday's Misery _**(EDITED)**

Rays of sunlight seeped through the curtained window, awakening the sleeping figure that lay beneath the purple covers of the bed. She fidgeted, visualizing the room where she was. Placing her unstable locks behind her ear, her blurry vision caught sight of the flashing digits on her alarm clock. _7:45 AM,_it read. She silently walked away from her cozy slumber, starting her daily routine. Stopping by the calendar, the familiar date encoded with red flowers and hearts bore realization to her weary body. Hastily, she rummaged through her closet, remembering on how special this day is.

* * *

She walked down the aisle, covered with that silky pearl-white dress. Her long mane flowed endlessly beneath that veil, together with her pretty face. She smiled weakly at her best friend as she passed by the grand piano playing the wedding's symphony. She looked wonderful. And it brought stinging tears to her eyes.

* * *

Happiness radiated at the reception room after the ceremony of exchanging everlasting vows. Wines clattering together with the cheerful outbursts of the guests inside made her uncomfortable. Ryuuzaki Sakuno decided to pass by her newly-married friend, hoping that she can finally voice out her warm congratulations. With her successful attempt, she slipped past every person she knew who were invited on Tomoka's wedding celebration.

There was Horio Satoshi, miserably crying as he eyed the loud-mouthed friend he used to love. Sakuno felt a twinge of compassion for him, knowing that he truly desired to live forever with Tomoka. Yet, a smile replaced her misty expression as soon as she saw the other two, Kachirou and Katsuo, who were sitting by Horio's side, telling him that it was better to let the girl slip off his grasp and be happy once in a while.

Glancing to her left, her beaming face seemed to radiate further. There on an isolated table sat Momoshiro, An and Eiji. A chuckle escaped her pink lips as she watched the two adults rant and An engulfed with annoyance.

She was about to leave when yet her picture perfect plan of escape was shattered into pieces as soon as An saw her gawking towards their direction. And those pieces were now blown by the wind as An stood from her chair and started pacing towards Sakuno's route.

"Sakuno-chan! Why are you standing all by yourself? Are you with somebody by the moment?" An inquired.

Sakuno meekly smiled with a nod, not wanting to utter a single word. She and An were good friends and they met each other frequently. But by now, a queer sensation seemed to be present, as if something she tended to escape from was about to be held right in front of her.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" An reckoned with her head facing Tomoka's direction.

Sakuno once again nodded, her trance a while ago completely forgotten. She eyed her best friend from head to foot, remarking on how magnificent she looked. And as she stared longer, a stray thought passed by her mind. The silky fabric that hung by her shoulders and the bouquet of roses and chrysanthemums that wafted at the air. As she walked on, a man on his best suit, with his disheveled green locks and piercing golden eyes waited with a smile.

She immediately shook her head in disagreement. She was supposed to forget about him. He was not a part of her life now. Right after what happened few years ago, she couldn't really remember exactly when, for all she got there was a bunch of miserable memories and a shattered heart. Yet as her thoughts about the young brat began to evaporate, Momoshiro and Kikumaru suddenly appeared.

"Ne, Ryuuzaki-chan, when are you gonna be married anyway?" Momoshiro innocently asked.

"Yeah! With Tomoka-chan married and An-chan having Momo-chin as her boyfriend, aren't you feeling a bit left out?" Eiji added.

Sakuno was taken aback. This was unexpected. Sure, her friends' romantic issues are improving and she was really happy about its results.

Yet…hers?

She wasn't considering love as a futile emotion in her heart right after the tennis prodigy gave her the cold shoulder treatment during their middle school days. She has a lot of suitors as well, and some of those were her students (who were actually junior students). Still, she wasn't ready for those ties with the opposite sex.

"I'm prioritizing my work as of now." She answered.

They all stared at her, hoping that she'll add more words to that phrase. Yet in utter disappointment, she didn't seem to sense this, and stormed out after a quick goodnight.

"What do you think, An?" Momoshiro queried with his eyes on the direction were Sakuno ran off to.

"She still loves him." An finalized, her words were sure.

"I see." A lovely smile graced out his lips, thinking about what the future may bring about.

* * *

"Sakuno!" Her voice rang, alarming the distracted girl by the balcony.

"Tomo-chan. Congratulations!" She smiled once again, acknowledging her friend's presence.

The next scenes seemed to be shocking for Tomoka's nature yet they both stayed there in silence, watching as the trees sway with the wind. Neither of them said a word in order to stop the deafening silence. For them, it was peaceful and calming. And when the clock struck half past twelve, Tomoka stood away from the railings, catching Sakuno's attention.

"Some things do come unexpected, Sakuno. I just hope that you won't screw up when an opportunity comes in your way." Tomoka advised with enthusiasm as she blended into the crowd of people.

* * *

Then, it was a new day.

Tomoka's wedding turned out well, yet what happened after her best friend's sudden words of wisdom really pushed her plan of escape last night right into the fire. She was childishly interrogated by Momoshiro and Kikumaru, asking her questions about her current life—her life after Ryoma left her.

She wasn't even sure how his name popped out of their conversation, (all the while connecting it with her when there weren't any connections at all) yet it was still undeniable that an accurate arrow of pain shot right past her agonizing heart. The reason for that, she wasn't sure, but she kept on reminding herself that it wasn't for the fact that she still harbored feelings for _him_.

No, that wasn't it.

Sakuno shook her head upon reminiscing last night's events. It was fun, really, especially when you found out that they never grew out of their childish antics. A smile crept on her lips, as she fidgeted her dress in front of the mirror. And she was off.

* * *

"Sensei, what is the proper tempo for Auld Lang Syne?"

"Sensei, sensei! Is note reading really _that_ important?"

"When are we going to start playing rock music?"

Sakuno dropped a lump of sweat upon seeing how hysterical her class was. It wasn't easy being a music teacher of thirty-six junior students who are desperate music lovers. You might think that it was better off with our students having such passion about what you teach, yet in Sakuno's case, today's just too pressurizing for her pupils.

She stifled a sigh, catching everyone's attention. She raised her head, facing her students with a smile.

"I can't answer your questions if you'll ask them all at the same time. Please raise your hands."

"Yes, Tsukiyo-kun?" Sakuno called a boy at the far-end corner of the room.

The boy was the so-called leader of their class, silent and stoic. He slightly resembled Ryoma, except for his dark raven locks and piercing azure eyes. He opened his left eye, lowering his right hand at the same time.

"When are you gonna accept my date offers?" Well, that was another difference.

One should not take it wrong, but he was not, in any way, a playboy, pervert or anything of that sort. Actually, Sakuno was the first female to ever catch his attention and he just wouldn't give up easily.

Sakuno blushed right after the statement graced out of his lips. It seemed that old habits never die easily. A satisfied smirk was his reply. Seriously, the boy was happy about the result.

"W-We'll talk about that later, Tsukiyo-kun." Sakuno grabbed a stray piece of chalk, nervously writing Japanese characters on the board.

* * *

"Come in," Sakuno replied after a series of knocks were heard outside her door.

Classes were finished for the day and there was no one scheduled for detention. The sudden tapping of wood gained her curiosity that she mindlessly accepted whoever was behind her door.

"Aren't you gonna answer my question a while ago?" Tsukiyo said as he made himself comfortable inside the deserted faculty office.

His impassive voice caught her off-guard. She jerked her head towards his direction, only to utter the name she thought she had once forgotten.

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno muttered, catching the boy's attention.

"Huh?" He replied; a tinge of jealousy was evident in his voice.

To be honest, you couldn't blame Sakuno. With Tsukiyo's head covered with a white cap, he can be easily ditched as the tennis prodigy himself. The sun's rays seeping through his raven locks made it glitter, creating a new hue of which Sakuno always knew about—his greenish locks. And by the time his eyes struck the orange color of the sunset, his azure orbs went gold, letting him resemble the man Sakuno once and only loved.

"Ryo—" Sakuno uttered once more, yet was diligently halted as Tsukiyo removed his cap.

Sakuno suddenly realized her mistake, reciting a series of apologies right in front of the lad. Some things never do change.

"You can pay me back by accepting my date offer." He lazily demanded.

Sakuno rose to her feet, a look of disbelief in her chocolate eyes.

"But—" She tried to retaliate, but was stopped by a flick of his finger on her forehead.

"Shut it. Meet me at the old Seigaku grounds at 1:00 PM sharp, Saturday. And don't be late. I hate waiting." With that, he left a dazed teacher behind.

* * *

"I can't read, damn it!" Echizen Nanjirou burst out as a loud crash was heard.

"Shut up, I'm the one who's injured, not your porn magazines." Ryoma retorted while rubbing his sore butt.

Ryoma tried to get up from his current position on the floor right after his fall from the ladder he was on. Sure, he was never a clumsy guy, yet he fell due to the fact that a black sewer rat suddenly appeared about, sucking the daylights out of his system. And out of sheer luck, he stumbled once again, earning another shriek from his perverted father who was _seriously_ reading a new issue of an American porn mag, covered by the morning paper, just in case Rinko would curiously ask what he was reading.

Glaring on the object that caused a graze on his ego, Ryoma's gaze softened as he realized that it was a neon blob with a mark of his chibi face on it. He picked it up, intently analyzing the old tennis ball that remained of her existence to his life. Yes, this was the last straw he had since that untimely confession happened. He wasn't on his right mind at that time, (he was twelve years old for goodness' sake) and he was sure that she just happened to be in the wrong place and time. Yet, he was surer she knew that tennis was his priority.

And now he regretted it.

"Ryoma-san! Please arrange your things! We'll be flying back home tomorrow." Nanako entered without a knock, reprimanding him upon sight of his untidy room.

"Aa." Ryoma answered, picking up his boxers.

* * *

"Tsukiyo-kun. H-Have you been w-waiting long?" Sakuno fidgeted upon remembering his cold words right after his demand for a date.

He lazily opened his eyes upon hearing her voice. He once thought that she wouldn't appear, right after the cold shoulder he had shown the very afternoon he insisted the date. Yet even if he wanted to tell on how nice she looked, on how considerate she was to accept his offer, he'd rather spit the words that blended his nature.

"You're three minutes late." He walked on, leaving her behind.

A smile was formed. She couldn't help but to feel right as he said those words, as though she was already used to it.

"Who's Ryoma?" Tsukiyo asked while licking his ice cream.

Sakuno's eyes widened, halting her attempt to lick her ice cream. Her gaze shifted to the boy beside her, his face full of curiosity about the person behind the name he just uttered.

"Well, just a crush I had before." Sakuno tried to sound calm, yet her voice seemed cracked.

"Crush, huh? Do I look like him?" Tsukiyo looked out the window.

"A lot. Same attitude as well." Sakuno chuckled absent-mindedly, her eyes entirely blank as if she was in deep thought.

"Che," Tsukiyo ended their conversation, noting that the name he mustered was a very special person for Sakuno.

After the "date" of eating more like tons of ice cream, Sakuno insisted that she wanted to walk home by herself, albeit the glares she received from the young man she was with. Strolling as the rays of sunlight brightened her face, she noted on how moved on she was, right after Tsukiyo struck a conversation related to him.

Passing by the old Seishun Gakuen grounds once again, she couldn't help but to reminisce with a pained smile, as she recalled his cold answer upon her confession.

**TBC**.


	2. Crap, Wrong Timing

**II. **_Crap, Wrong Timing! _**(EDITED)**

(_12: 01 A.M; A week after Tomoka's wedding_)

Canon continuously played as Momoshiro covered his ears in irritation.

"Hello?" Momoshiro idly answered the phone on his bedside table and at the same time, mumbling curses mentally, for the one calling that moment certainly interrupted his rest.

"Hey—" the person on the line was cut by Momoshiro's grumpy voice.

"Sheesh, cut it out will you?" he exclaimed. "Aren't you aware what time is it? It's 12 midnight for goodness' sake! Don't you have a life to live on? Well then, I'll tell you mine! See, I have work tomorrow, and my boss will scold me if I'll be late, and then, _that_would leave me jobless. And if I don't have any work, it would be hard for me to earn and save money for An's birthday. And if—"

Irritated, the caller interfered Momoshiro's frenzied, despotic speech. "Ne senpai, what's with the false analogy?"

"H-huh? Who are you anyway?" he asked scratching his head.

"It's me." A sigh penetrated from the caller's side.

He already has a clue of who could that be. Calling him 'senpai' could be a hint. But of course, a hunch is still a hunch. And, it wasn't really the time to play detective games. "Are we playing charades here? I don't have time for this, brat. Just tell—"

"Echizen Ryoma." Ah, so he _was_ Echizen Ryoma. He was calling him 'senpai' because…well, for the reason that he first graduated junior high from Seigaku than him right? How idiotic…but naturally, it was for a fact that he _was_ sleepy. No doubt that he would give nothing but a bunch of hogwash rationale. But, turning out from 'sleepy mode,' Momoshiro's sluggish eyes abruptly widened, slipping all the drowsiness away.

"_Echizen_? Is that really you?"

"Aa." Ryoma retorted. "Momo-senpai."

"Woah! I can't believe that's you! And I can't even believe that you still remember me! How was life out there?" Momoshiro couldn't terribly be certain that he's now talking to Echizen Ryoma, his former kouhai at Seishun Gakuen, which was now a renowned tennis icon in world's history. A star if others might describe.

"Momo-senpai—" Ryoma tried once again, yet was abruptly discouraged.

"Oh! I almost forgot to ask!" Momoshiro butted in. "Had any girlfriends out there? Are you going to come back here?"

"Actually—"

"Great! Can we fetch you at the airport? I'm sure others will be surprised to see you. When? What time?" Momoshiro sat up from his bed with a goofy grin on his face.

"Tomorrow, 9 o'clock in the morning." At last, Ryoma finally finished what he wanted to say.

"Okay, good. Tomorrow, 9 o'clock AM." He replied merrily. "Bye! See 'ya!" then he hung up.

_Great_, why does he have to phone him of all people he could call? Ryoma stared at his cell phone, trying to ponder whether what he did was right.

Momoshiro wasted no time. Without even fixing the phone on his desk, he dialed Eiji's number immediately. Slothfully, Eiji answered the phone while rubbing his temples. He saw the caller ID and was startled to see Momoshiro calling him that early.

"Nya, what's with the early call? Because if my eyes were correct, the clock says it's 12:10 AM." He sleepily said, rubbing his eyes as he sat down on his bed. "Don't you have work tomorrow? I mean, you once said that you're saving money for—"

"Wait, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro cried.

"Tone down, Momo-chin…" Eiji pointed out. "It's not like you're talking to a crowd over here right?" he hushed. "And besides, it's too early—"

"Wait, let me finish first." He paused. "Okay, this started when—"

"Momo-chin…" Eiji grumbled. "Go straight to the point. I'm still sleepy…" he continued then yawned loudly.

"Okay, okay. Echizen's here." He bluntly stated.

"Wha-where? He's here? O'chibi's here?" Eiji exclaimed, almost jumping off his bed. "Really?"

"Oh," Momoshiro said. "I kinda get that mixed. Sorry, my mistake. He's going _to be_here. Tomorrow, 9:00 AM. He told earlier when he called before I phoned you."

Eiji remained silent.

"Eiji-senpai?...Oi, Eiji-sen—" Momoshiro tried to see whether his companion was still on the other line.

"At last! O'chibi's coming back home!" Eiji's booming voice tempted Momoshiro to drop the phone on the ground and start sleeping like Sleeping Beauty.

"Shh…Eiji-senpai, tone down…" Momoshiro rubbed his fingers into his ears, checking if the pair was still able to hear sounds.

"Uh, sorry," Eiji then calmed down himself, very much delighted with the good news that was brought to him.

"Well, I think that's all I need to say. Besides, it's still tomorrow so we still have today to tell the others about his arrival. I'm even planning to surprise him at the airport. I'm sure he'll be stunned if he'll see Sakuno-chan!" Momoshiro's stupid grin widened once more.

"Yeah, Great!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Get some sleep now, Eiji-senpai," Momoshiro said. "My announcement is done. And I've got work today! Damn, I almost forgot! I need some rest! Bye."

"Okay, Bye!" Then both hanged up and resumed their rest.

* * *

"_All passengers of Flight 343, all passengers of Flight 343 to Narita Airport, Japan, please fasten your seat belts for we're now ready for take off…"_ the flight attendant announced. At first-class seats, Ryoma and his family were about to leave America. He and his family were supposed to be there a week before, exactly on the day of Tomoka's wedding. But, due to some tennis official matches reminded to him by his manager, his flight, the same with his mom and dad's, was postponed. Nanako was the first one to return home due to her company's demands.

Being out in America really did make a lot of difference for all of them, and now, to be able to get back to his homeland made him feel a little awkward. And of course, he's not going back there when he used to first see and live within the place like he was twelve. Things sure change, that's for a fact. He's no longer twelve, but a prominent twenty-three-year-old tennis hero known to Japan. And of course, being not in the country for eleven years certainly changed almost all of the things, places, persons that he wasn't able to see for a long time.

Looking through the window, a thought suddenly crossed his mind of what would be happening when he returned. Were any of the persons he used to know changed after he left Japan? What life would he be expecting when he got there? All of the possibilities were in his mind that time. He wasn't even sure of why, in the first place, he agreed to go back. He has his life, career, fame and great opportunities in America. What could conceivably influence him from making such a huge decision?

His father? No, definitely not.

His mom? Nope, and why would she be? She, like his father couldn't anymore control his decisions. And besides, she wouldn't want to get in his way.

And of course, it's not Nanako who persuaded him to go back.

Who could it be then?

* * *

"Hey, Tomoka-chan!" Eiji jumped gleefully as he and the others met at the usual hang-out, Kawamura Sushi.

"Sorry I was late. I find it hard on getting my husband's permission…" Tomoka responded pouting.

"We understand," said Momoshiro. "You just get married a week ago, and you're still supposed to be enjoying each other together."

"Momo-senpai," Tomoka replied, "this isn't really the right time to talk about that."

"Ah, sorry," Momoshiro plopped another sushi in his gluttonous mouth.

"Ne," Kachirou interrupted after flipping his phone off, "Horio wouldn't be able to make it today."

"Why?" was everybody's sudden reaction.

"He… didn't mention why." Kachirou answered all those confused faces in front of him.

"That's okay." Tomoka interpolated. Changing the topic, she started, "so, what is it about my best friend that you want to talk about?"

"Yeah…" Kawamura conceded. "What's with the sudden get-together?"

"Okay," Eiji responded. "Momo and I have to announce something. We're about to announce the—"

"The arrival of Echizen tomorrow." Momoshiro continued. "Eiji-senpai and I are planning to fetch him at the airport. We'll be surprising him tomorrow."

Oishi's eyes broadened. "Really? Oh, we really should make him astonished! I have to—" Eiji covered his partner's mouth to stop his blabbering.

Tomoka, instead of being excited, stood up from where she was sitting, and then attempted to get outside. She was supposed to be enthusiastic, yet she felt otherwise. However, the others noticed this immediately.

Eiji, halting her to leave, said, "Why Tomoka-chan? Aren't you excited of O'chibi's arrival? At last he and Sakuno-chan will be—"

"No," she declared, "Well, that wouldn't happen anymore, Eiji-senpai." Then she continued her way towards the restaurant's exit.

"Ne," Momoshiro butted in. "I-I don't understand. When we're in junior high, you usually—"

"That's eleven years ago, senpai. People change, I guess." She retorted.

"People change? What are you talking about?" Momoshiro said bluntly.

"What am _I _talking about?" she responded almost wanting to kick his senpai's butt. "You mean, you don't know?"

"We wouldn't ask you if we _do_know," Inui answered adjusting his glasses.

"My best friend already got over her infatuation with that freak." She stated. "She's now living a life of her own, _without_ him."

"You give us the creeps Tomo-chan. I can almost think that you're not the Tomoka we all use to know." An spilled out. "Tell us, what is it that happened between those two that you now want them not to be together?"

"He made my friend learn to close her heart for a new beginning. He had never given her the chance to show how much she cared for him. I don't know how foolish she was to fall in love with him, even if he didn't love her back. Hell, that _freak show_." Yes, this was _Tomoka_ speaking. This wasn't in her personality, of course, being serious or any of that sort. But being the witness of her friend's most melancholic moment, she sure has all the right to act like that.

"Tomoka-chan," Kachirou interjected. "Are you on your self today?"

"Of course I am Kachirou-kun," She replied. "I just don't want us to bother her with Echizen's abrupt arrival. It's hard for her to cope up again if she will know about this. Maybe keeping this as a secret will do."

"You've grown so much Tomo-chan," An complimented. "So much that I can't even recognize you."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Tomoka sarcastically retorted, taking her previous seat.

"Anything will do." Ann responded. "Anyway, could you tell us what happened to them few years back then?"

"Oh, you wouldn't want to—", She eagerly put out the topic, yet was stopped by Fuji's calm and serious façade.

"We want to know." Fuji smiled at her, placing a wasabi sushi in his mouth.

"Okay…" Tomoka gave in, starting the story that was meant to be forgotten eleven years ago.

* * *

_Ryoma came from the school's lobby since he was paged from the middle of the practice to answer a call from Nanako. And for some odd reason, he was walking through the corridors with unexplainable anger right after his cousin phoned him. No one knew the reason with his abrupt change of mood. He was furious, really._

_Meanwhile, Tomoka continued to coerce her best friend to talk straight to everybody's "Ryoma-sama," and there, confess her undying love him._

"_Come on, Sakuno!" Tomoka cried. "This is just one of letting him know that you like him. You should at least tell him how you feel right?"_

"_B-But T-Tomo-chan…" Sakuno's twelve-year-old self was pictured once again, together with her rosy cheeks which are now evenly flamed._

"_No buts, Sakuno." Tomoka exclaimed, placing her arms in front of her chest. "No one in this whole campus has every chance to talk to him besides you. He walks you home everyday, and tutors you at tennis and English. You always had the chance to say what your feelings are, girl!" She then paused from her persuasive speech as she saw the freshman prodigy approach near them._

"_Now, go!" she whispered to her best friend then pushed the timid lass in front of the feline-eyed boy. Ryoma halted from his fast-paced saunter then faced the girl who almost wants to bury herself alive because of too much embarrassment. Tomoka hid herself on the edge of the corridor and tries to eavesdrop Sakuno's (and at the same time hers) most awaited incident._

"_Ryuuzaki." Ryoma acknowledged the presence of the girl by calling her last name. It's more like a dream to think that there would be a more gentle way of greeting her in regards with him._

"_A-ah…" Sakuno's nature, no doubt._"_A-anou, R-Ryoma-kun, I-I…"_

"_You what?" An infuriated question was thrown at her direction._

"_I w-want t-to s-say something." She continued holding her handkerchief tightly, still dense with Ryoma's current mood ._

"_What is it?" His patience was about to snap, hearing her stutter like crazy._

"_A-anou, I-I j-just…uhm…", out of words, Sakuno closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath, "W-well I…I-I want to say t-that I…"_

"_You know what?" he butted in. "I don't have time for your stuttering, Ryuuzaki." A glare was finally visible within his flaming eyes. "I think I don't have to waste my time to listen to you, do I?"_

_Then, he left the girl in tears._

_She was shocked hearing those words from him. She never expected that he would be that rude. Well of course he had this "iciness" among all the living creatures around him, but, acting towards her like that would be too much._

_In tears, she ran so fast for her not to be noticed by other students. She immediately went at the rooftop, and there, she let all her heart out._

"_SAKUNO!" Tomoka called her out raucously. "Mou, this is my entire fault. I shouldn't have forced her to do that."_

_Just who is she to be heard by the "Ryoma-sama"? Is she worthy of the attention of the "tennis prodigy"? Is she laudable for even a single glance coming from him?_

"_Of course not." She uttered with her heart almost pierced right that moment. She was like a damsel in distress imprisoned by all her affections for him._

_Her tears were like daggers with a poisonous venom, spreading within her system after each one was shed. Her heart was shattered into a million pieces by that one person who she never got close to, the one she never get acquainted as a friend, yet just a mere schoolmate and apprentice in both tennis and English. Why were tears flowing out of her puffy eyes? Did she overcome the infatuation she had for the prodigy and proceeded into the realm of unrequited love? And as Sakuno got home, her grandmother out of town, she faced the mirror, only to reflect her pain and agony after hearing those harsh words—and she wasn't able to confess as well. A crooked smile replaced her frown, yet the melancholic aura was still present._

"_Okay, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, listen. Echizen Ryoma is not a part of your life anymore. You should ignore the things related to him, even it hurts so bad, and later live the life you wanted to have ever since." Wiping her red, swollen eyes, she encouraged herself with enough conviction that after his cold shoulder, she would start to gather the pieces of her heart once more. And for once, she believed that all those words indicated the elimination of Echizen-related thoughts, stuffs and Echizen Ryoma himself both in her mind and her heart._

* * *

"And from that day on," Tomoka, who was narrating the story continued, "All of the things related to him were removed in her life completely. And that's applicable to me, too."

"So you mean—" Eiji, disheartened by the story recited, bowed his head in disappointment.

"Aw… the power of young love! Where could you be?" Momoshiro conceded.

"I'm truly sorry for what had happened." Fuji said. "But you'll never know what will happen next, right?"

A number of confused heads stared at the tensai's direction, only to receive his ever-plastered smile as a reply.

* * *

"_Passenger of Flight 343, we're now approaching Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan. Please fasten your seatbelts…"_

**TBC.**

Melodramatic much?

***Tsukiyo-kun **(or Tsuki-kun, as what we call him) is a freshman (13 y/o). He pretty much resemble our Prince of Tennis here, in character and appearance, but here's the thing: HE DON'T DO TENNIS. I think he's pretty much lazy to do that, so yeah. But rest assured that his involvement in the storyline would be just as fun as Fuji playing around. No, really. :)


	3. Schemes

**III.**_Schemes _**(EDITED)**

Momoshiro packed his things and placed his coat on his shoulder. Tomoka eyed him in question, trying to deprive where he was going. With a crooked smile, he tried to answer, yet was vaguely interrupted by Eiji.

"Seems like we'll be the only ones to fetch O'chibi. Are you sure you'll not come with us?" Eiji asked for assurance, a pout placed on his lips.

Tomoka nodded, not giving in to the temptation of seeing Ryoma once again. She flashed her smile towards their direction, hoping that they would arrive safely at the airport and back home. With her final word, they all left her in that restaurant.

Luggage at hand, Ryoma's piercing golden eyes roamed around, trying to decipher his grown senpai-tachi within the mob of strangers. It was a fine day, to be able to return to Japan at last. He sighed in defeat, totally sure that they were running late again. Standing beside a vending machine, he dropped a few yen, hoping to be refreshed by his ever-so-loved Ponta. And as the cold liquid poured onto his dry lips, a pat on the back halted him from doing so.

Ryoma spun around, only to see his Momoshiro and the others smiling and smirking with all their glory (Tezuka wasn't present). A bear hug was what he received next, accompanied with ear-splitting screams about how they missed him so much. The tennis prince mentally groaned, acknowledging the fate he had chosen the moment he dialed Momoshiro's phone number to pick him up at the airport. His eyes scanned his surroundings by reflex, only to be caught by the evil tensai.

"Expecting someone, Echizen?" Fuji held on his luggage, trying to lift some of his burdens now that Eiji was clinging on him like a magnet.

"Where are loudmouth, sensei and Wobbly Hips?" He directly inquired, keeping his cool feature and silencing everyone.

They stared at him in disappointment; by now pondering that Ryoma must have already forgotten the cold behavior he did on the past with the very girl he was looking for right now. Yet, as Ryoma noticed their looks and gave a confused 'are-you-all-dumb-or-what' gaze, Eiji finally released all the tension he was feeling.

"How could you—mmpphh!" Oishi placed his hand on Eiji's mouth, not wanting for Ryoma to feel guilty about the past. Not when he just got home.

"Don't mind him; he just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Oishi forced a smile, trying to sound convincing. To convince, especially Ryoma, that everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about.

Ryoma glared at Eiji until he was locked within Momoshiro's grasp. His senpai seemed to talk and talk, not minding if he even listens at all. His gold eyes darkened, making them all hazy and chrome. Though odd, he wasn't forgetful about the fact that he shattered Sakuno's heart with just a single paragraph, even if it was the longest thing he ever said to her, as he backtracked.

Yet, it was still out of question. The topic was just too emotional, that it was the least thing he wanted to remember.

"Hey, Echizen! Where will you stay? Wanna grab something to eat?" Momoshiro offered with his hungry smile plastered on his features.

"Didn't we just eat a while ago? To remember it correctly, you've swallowed a bucketful of sushi. Am I right, Inui?" Fuji chuckled as Momoshiro turned beet red and Ryoma smirked.

"Right. I even calculated the total calorie intake. And if it exceeds more than normal, I'm glad to force you to gulp down a whole pint of my latest juice, in whatever diet of your choice. But, which one do you prefer: Tengu-Tea or Blue Ivy-Aozu Upgrade?" Inui's glasses flashed in anticipation.

"Pig," Kaidoh hissed in a small whisper, not audible enough for Momo to hear.

"I'd rather die in hunger. Come on, we'll take you home." Momoshiro deliberately dragged Ryoma's luggage from Fuji, his ears turning violet by the sound of Inui's murmurs.

Ryoma watched them as they battled through these situations. It seemed that nothing really changed, only their physical built to be exact. He tucked his hands onto his pockets, forgetting his thoughts about a maiden who left him downright guilty.

* * *

Sakuno stared at the papers stacked on her table. The exams just finished and she was on a tight busy schedule. A ballpoint pen at hand, she carefully marked every item in red, recording their scores right after. Finally giving in, she rested her back on her chair, smiling as she witnessed the sleeping figure on Hibari-sensei's table.

Sakuno slowly stood up from her place, swathing her jacket on her latent student who just caught detention during English. She chuckled softly, pondering on how he and Ryoma were totally alike. How Tsukiyo reminded her of the thirteen-year-old Ryoma she used to know. The same Ryoma she used to love.

A stressed sigh escaped from her lips, creating moist in the air. She watched her breath as it slowly formed right in front of her, trying to suppress the distressing emotions pent up inside her mind. Eyeing the lad who was fast asleep, she smiled once again, stating to herself that Ryoma used to sleep during English as well—yet he did so great in it.

Sakuno looked straight, only to glance at her reflection on the mirror. She gazed at herself, pondering about the major changes Ryoma did to her life. She held on her shoulder-length hair, the same auburn tresses which were once neatly groped in braids; she just couldn't risk remembering all of his sarcastic remarks about her hair.

"Where's sensei?" A husky voice had awoken her from her very own trance.

"I think he went out, got himself to buy some snacks." Sakuno glanced at the boy's direction, chuckling once he stood up from his slumber.

Sakuno really managed to talk easily to her students, only whenever the situation was not pretty awkward. So, she thought it was the time "I guess you had detention again. I'm your adviser, Tsukiyo-kun. And even though I agree that English is quite boring, you need to listen."

But then again, maybe not.

Tsukiyo disheveled his hair, placing his white cap on his head. He blankly stared at the papers piled up in front of him, playing with it just to kill time. Sakuno sighed in defeat, knowing that the boy would never listen to anything she would say. She stared hard, trying to see any other significance her listener had brought about. Yet as he continued to not mind her and wait for Hibari-sensei in order for him to finally go home, Sakuno moved back to her own desk.

"Is this Echizen?" His question halted her from her work, her eyes totally flabbergasted about what he said.

Sakuno glanced towards his direction, only to spot him holding a Tennis Pro magazine. She totally forgot that Hibari-sensei was Shiba-san's husband, and he usually carried every issue of the magazine with them. After all, he was a graduate from Seigaku and he admired Ryoma as well.

"Didn't know you got taste. Che, thought he was a nerd." Tsukiyo bluntly muttered, throwing the magazine back to where he got it.

Sakuno slumped back to her chair, smiling at the boy's antics. She just couldn't perceive how he took a liking on her. He was a heartthrob, with a mob of fan girls tailing around him everyday, yet he had chosen someone who was almost ten years older that he was. She knew that it was a mere crush, nothing to be taken seriously. After all, boys his age and attitude only have the guts to reject and forget.

Reject and forget. Just like what he did before.

The door slid open, revealing the very teacher Tsukiyo was waiting for. The stoic teenager stood up, showing the back of his palm as his way of goodbye. Sakuno shook her head, trying her best not to remember the worst memory she had with him. And as Hibari-sensei sat on his chair and Tsukiyo shut the door close, she resumed with her work, letting her career take over herself.

* * *

The phone deliberately rang as Nanjirou played with the catnip he found on their garden. He didn't mind the continuous same tone playing from the machine, being rebellious for the fact that his wife burnt all his porn magazines.

"My hands are full. Can you please pick up the darn phone?" A sarcastic shout emerged from the kitchen, letting the perverted samurai stand up on his feet.

"Fine. Jeez." He retorted, not wanting to anger Rinko again.

He ruffled his hair as he walked down the hallway just to pick up a darn call. He didn't know why, but his wife can be very intimidating sometimes and soft on other times as well. He placed the catnip on his lip, gritting his teeth in complete annoyance.

"Hello? If you're my son's manager, better hang up." Nanjirou answered in a gruff tone, clearly telling the person on the other line that he was not on a good mood.

"Shut up, Nanjirou." An old, stern voice replied, making the old monk's eyes to spark in sarcasm.

"Oh, old hag! I never thought you'd call just to check up on me!" He twirled the catnip on his hand, slumping on the nearby sofa.

"That's not the reason why I called. It's about the engagement." Her voice sounded serious, erasing the goofy grin on the samurai's face.

"Just wait. I'll call Rinko." Nanjirou hung the phone up, calling for his wife in the kitchen.

Sumire placed the phone back, a sigh evading her lips. She held her temple, remembering the discussion she had with the Echizen couple. She suggested that it might be the right time to pursue the pre-arranged engagement between Sakuno and Ryoma since she already thought that Sakuno was allotting more time to her job than herself. Nanjirou answered that by Ryoma's tight schedule, also pondering that his son was too boring to be with.

This engagement was planned long before the Echizen family migrated back to America. It started as a matchmaking session between the three, and soon, they found out that both children harbored something for each other (yet what Ryoma feels wasn't very clear) and needed just a little push—which eventually resulted to an engagement.

Sumire rested her head on the couch, thinking that it might be better now—since Ryoma is coming back to Japan (She knew it from Momoshiro). She was also worried with her granddaughter's behavior since Ryoma left, being devoted to her career and not providing time for her own pleasures. She knew this was the best thing she could do.

"I'm home!" Sakuno shouted from the door.

"Sakuno! We need to talk." Her loud voice hadn't changed, and she smiled about it.

"I'm coming!" The sound of shoes caught her ears.

She knew that this was the best, for she could read through Sakuno. And she knows that she still loves him like the way she loved him before.

* * *

Momoshiro and the others waved him goodbye as they reached the old Echizen residence. Ryoma searched for the keys in his pockets, hoping that Nanako prepared him something to eat. He swiftly removed his shoes by the doorstep (he's already inside the house) and placed his tennis bag beside the umbrellas.

"I'm home." Ryoma impassively shouted, only to be greeted by his cousin.

"Oh! Welcome back!" Nanako helped him with his luggage, placing it by the living room.

Ryoma sat down by the fireplace, hoping that he can warm himself up from the cold weather. Nanako went back to the kitchen to prepare some tea, delivering it to Ryoma, receiving a silent 'thank you'.

"Who picked you up?" Nanako inquired, sipping on her own cup.

"Senpai-tachi." Ryoma held on his own, warming his freezing hands.

"By the way, uncle called and told me that they would be arriving tomorrow. They said they have to discuss some matters with you." Nanako removed his coat from the chair, hanging it on his luggage.

"Tennis matters?" Ryoma eyed his cousin.

Nanako merely shrugged, bringing the empty tray back to the kitchen. Ryoma watched his cousin as she vanished from the living room. He impassively diverted his attention to the golden, crackling flames dancing by the fireplace. He knew that it wasn't something about tennis. His father would never waste money just to talk over something very silly. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired after the long travel he had on the airplane.

* * *

Sakuno sighed in defeat as she wiped the unshed tears on her eyes. Her grandmother just confirmed to her that she was engaged with a son of a family friend. Not having enough courage to retort, she bowed her head low, listening to her inward cries of frustration and hurt.

Sakuno plopped her weary body on her bed, feeling paralyzed by the news she just perceived. Being married with a guy she hardly knew about, a guy she didn't recognize made her stomach churn and her heart clench. Her tear-stained face made her look frail and weak.

Thoughts about a happy future seemed to succumb into an endless pit of darkness. What if the guy didn't like her? What if he loved somebody else? What if she wouldn't have sufficient time for her career? What if Ryoma would know?

She stopped her 'what-ifs', processing the last question she had given to herself. Why would she care if Ryoma would know? Sakuno tried to force her mind to accept that they were nothing but schoolmates. That she was dust and he was gold. And even though he would know anything about her marriage, he wouldn't care, he wouldn't glance, and he wouldn't even remember her name.

And as those thoughts seeped through her pessimistic mind, her stomach churned more and her heart seemed to shatter into a million speckles of dust. She didn't know why, yet she let all her tears fall. All of her grievances out. All of her pain since the moment he spat those words to her. The moment she did that, she knew that she wasn't crying because of the engagement anymore.

She knew she loved him still.

**TBC.**


	4. Inside Me

**IV.**_Inside 'Me' _**(EDITED)**

Ryoma was hesitant to open his eyes, get up in bed this very day. He didn't know why, but it was something strange to think that he, the Prince of Tennis, could be moved just because of what his cousin told him yesterday.

_"By the way, uncle called and told me that they would be arriving tomorrow. They said they have to discuss some matters with you."_

His mind kept on insisting that his father would just be talking about rubbish things. Being Nanjirou's son for years, it was rather normal if they converse and talk not like father and son, but like two children with tantrums. But hey, his father once got serious. That was, when his mother tried to put his precious American-made magazines in the bin while he's asleep. He heaved a sigh remembering how his father reacted dreadfully.

But then, something inside him tells that he should go. But what exactly was it?

In the end, he decided to go, still having an odd sensation within him.

* * *

"G-Grandma!"

"Sakuno, don't overreact. You're just meeting your fiancée. No big deal." Her grandmother shook her head disbelievingly. She didn't anticipate that Sakuno would exaggerate like that.

"No big deal?" Sakuno exclaimed. "O-Of course it's a big deal! I-I don't even know him. What if—"

"Enough with that. Just change your clothes then we'll leave."

"N-No, I won't," was Sakuno's doubtful yet concise reply.

"And why's that?" Sumire crossed her arms then twitched her eyebrow.

"B-because…a-anou…" Sakuno couldn't think of a valid reason. She was fully aware of what her grandmother had been blabbering about, but her mind seems flying around her head, that caused her to be in dead air. "Because, I-I got work today! Right! My class is going to start soon, so, I'd better be going. See you later!"

She was about to open the door, but then…

"I already phoned Hibari-sensei about your absence today." Sumire said with an inward grin and a pat on her back.

'_Mou…' _Sakuno, after endless nagging and reasoning out, finally gave up and followed the older Ryuuzaki.

* * *

To be able to hide his identity, Ryoma disguised himself with a strange-looking hat, a pair of shades, matched with a newspaper. He had to do this, or else, a swarm of fan girls and paparazzi would be around him in no time. He had to keep the irksome hat on his head until he reached his destination. He stopped by an Italian restaurant where his cousin told him to go.

"Welcome, sir," greeted the Italian waiter. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes."

"Oh, this way sir." Then the waiter led him to a table for five adjacent to the window. He then saw two familiar figures as he approached the table.

"Oi, long time no see eh?"

"Shut up, oyaji. Now, what's this all about?" he replied gallingly.

"Just wait, we can't start until they're not here." Nanjirou answered with a grin plastered on his face.

* * *

"_Cucina Italiana_?(1)" Sakuno's orbs widened as they stopped by an Italian restaurant. "Since when did you like going on an Italian restaurant?"

"Since my friend brought me here once. Come on, let's go inside."

Sakuno's heart started to pump heavily. It pounded so hard that she couldn't almost take it. But, she shouldn't act like that. Being childish in this kind of situation would make it even worse. She suddenly remembered the questions in her mind the night before. What if the guy would end up not liking her? What if he was in love with somebody else? What if because of this, later on, she wouldn't have sufficient time for her career? What if Ryoma would know?

Uh-oh…that should be enough.

'_Be yourself, Sakuno. No need to pretend. And for goodness' sake, what does Echizen Ryoma have to do with all of these? You shouldn't be tensed. You can do this. Trust yourself.'_A thought or more like a lecture lingered and ran through her mind as they went inside. She couldn't keep wondering where this awful sensation came from. Although she didn't want to panic, she began to firmly hold on her handkerchief unconsciously, a sign that she was completely nervous.

"Nothing will happen, Sakuno." Her grandmother assured her. "Trust me."

"I hope you're right, grandma."

And this eerie feeling that could almost kill her out grew more as they stopped, revealing who her fiancée was.

* * *

"ECHIZEN RYOMA?" she gulped awkwardly as her brown eyes broadened with surprise. "He…He's—"

"Yes, Sakuno-chan." Nanjirou uttered with an obvious delight as seen on his face. "Meet Echizen Ryoma, your husband-to-be." Then the two older women conceded with a nod.

"WHAT!" both of them lost their composure and bellowed, which caught the attention of many.

"Dear, both of you. Sit down." Rinko, Ryoma's mother, tried to lighten up the atmosphere. "We're actually here to talk about that matter." They both sat down as Nanjirou started explaining the matter, or rather "frame up" especially made for Ryoma and Sakuno.

"Okay, since both of you couldn't stop yourself from getting in so much of your careers, we agreed to decide everything for you. Besides, you're getting old! You should be thinking about your future. Future sons…and daughters that will take care of you in your old age. You know…like—"

"Getting married. That's what it's all about." Sumire briefly explicated. "Nanjirou, you don't need to make things complicated."

"Grandma! What about—" Sakuno was about to say something but abruptly interfered by her grandmother.

"About the expenses, the programs, the guests invited, the honey moon…all has been totally settled. What we're waiting is both of you, and then it's complete. We waited long enough, and now, I think is the right time." was Sumire's lengthy explanation.

"In short, it's now complete. Old hag, _you_ don't not make things complicated," Nanjirou stated.

"Goodness, you just repeated what I said."

Sakuno was deeply shocked with what she just heard. And so was Ryoma. But of course, as prideful as they were, they would never admit it even to themselves. Ryoma didn't want to ruin his cool. And for Sakuno, as she remembered her bitter memory of him, found more reason to maintain her established self which she had been building for years.

Sakuno stood up from where she was sitting, conserving her serious yet calm features. It was pretty amusing, since she never was the type of person who could stand masking what she feels, yet she was obviously doing it that very moment. Although faint, Ryoma somehow noticed how she had changed. The way she sat, her confidence shown in front of him, and her timid, shy self turned into a modest, buoyant, stronger persona.

"Grandma…Grandma, can… we talk?"

"Dear, aren't _we_talking?"

"No, I mean, personal. Please?"

"Okay." Then she rose from her seat. After ensuring an enough distance for what she was supposed to say, Sakuno speak up with a dismayed tone.

"Grandma, what's with all these 'set-up'?"

"Sakuno, I know—"

"You mean it hasn't crossed your mind to consult me about this stuff? G-Grandma, how could you?" she let her anger out like much of an upset stomach, really. "Besides, you even knew what _that_guy did to me, ne? This is ridiculous. You should be the one understanding me first before anyone else, and yet…you're the one provoking me to do things which can make me more miserable."

"Sakuno, listen to me first," Her grandmother said evenly, trying to persuade her with firm words. "Just give it a try. You have nothing to lose."

"Nothing to lose? What about my self which I've been struggling to find and fix again for a long time?"

"Sakuno, trust me on this one."

* * *

"Isn't this the right time to spill what's going on?" Ryoma asked with a sour tone, as he made himself sure to convey that he wasn't happy about it one bit. Echizen Ryoma was never the type to be manipulated. And being his parents for years, he didn't thought that he had to make any effort of clearing that fact to them that moment.

"I wasn't the only one who decided this." Nanjirou answered, playing the ice on his red iced tea. "Besides, son. Have a life. And trust me; your life couldn't get any better with Sakuno-chan around."

"I'm not buying that."

"See son, your mother and I are getting old, and—"

"Hon, let me take care of this." Then Rinko leaned and whispered something to Ryoma that made him feel uneasy. "Now, are you going to accept it or not? Come on sweetie, mom's waiting for your answer."

"Che."

"Hah, I knew you would agree with this. You really do love me son, don't you?" Rinko grinned and faced her husband, saying that it was _Mission Accomplished _for them.

* * *

"Really? Ryoma-sama—I mean Echizen Ryoma's back? Oh! That's gre—I mean, why are we talking about him anyway?" Tomoka asked with suspicion as soon as Sakuno let her hear the news.

"I know, I know, we shouldn't be talking about him. Not until…" Sakuno responded, still obviouslyshell-shocked.

"Not until what?"

"Not until…I…I discovered that…"

"Discovered what? Geez, Sakuno! Don't keep it hanging!"

"That he was…"

* * *

"WHAT!"

"O'chibi's Sakuno-chan's fiancée? How come?" Eiji and the others almost fell from where they were sitting. But as they continue to digest the news, comments such as "So young…" and "Aw, young love…" were heard from their mouths.

"So, when's the wedding?" they couldn't help but ask.

* * *

"Rinko, what made Ryoma decide that quickly? What did you say to him?" Nanjirou curiously asked.

"Well, I simply said that…"

"_If you did not make this all happen, I'll make all of your blind dates coming, and hire Inui Sadaharu to make the menu for your everyday meal. Get it?"_

"You're a sly devil, Rinko. I'm proud of you."

* * *

"Echizen... Ryoma…" Sakuno banged her head and laid on her mattress in despair. "Ugh…what am I to do now?"

**TBC.**

**FOOTNOTES:**

(1) Literally means "Italian Cuisines."

I added some stuffs, if you don't mind. As you can see, this would be the shortest chapter so far, so I think I'd give it some editing "magic," ow, but then again, I'm doubting if I can do that. :) ~Kemi


	5. With Glares, Presents, and Realizations

**V. **_With Glares, Presents, and Realizations_

Sakuno fluttered her eyes open as the sound of her alarm clock perked up her ears. She tried to remain composed, not minding the screeching noise the timepiece produced. Beads of sweat rolled down to her cheeks, together with her breathing unstable and her legs tangled on her bed sheets. Slowly, she got up from her odd position, trotting into the bathroom with the same dazed look.

The sound of gushing water brought her back to reality. Her sweat-drenched reflection stared back in complete anxiousness, the eye bags clearly intact beneath her large chocolate orbs. Her hair was a mess, considering that she didn't remove her clips the night before. An exhausted sigh escaped her lips and she started to splurge cool water onto her face.

Drying up her features, she glanced on the mirror hovering in front of her. Her sad eyes proved that the engagement was no joke, and that everyone involved on that arrangement were quite serious about it. She gripped on her towel tightly, trying to conceal the overwhelming stir of anonymous emotions flowing inside her head.

"Sakuno! Hurry up or you'll be late for your class!" A thunderous voice roared from afar, breaking the maiden's trance.

Back to reality.

"I'm coming!" Sakuno removed the snarled pins on her hair, hastily arranging herself and her things.

She then left the bathroom in a hurry right after tidying herself up. She started packing her things and decided on turning the alarm clock off. She threw her filthy clothes on a nearby hamper, and then began on muttering soft whimpers as she started to look for her class record. Upon finding all of her lost belongings, her room was in complete disarray and the only thing she can do about it was to murmur apologies on her head like a scripture and walk out of the disheveled place. In a flash, she kissed her grandmother goodbye and went off to work; her hysteric actions caused her to discard her thoughts of the previous day.

* * *

He woke up the moment his father removed the manga covering his face. A fierce battle of glares came next, with him trying not to be intimidated by his foolish father. A scowl appeared on his face the time his father's lips quivered upward into an annoying smirk. With that as the final blow, he snatched the manga annoyingly, covering his face once again.

Nanjirou sat beside his stubborn son, grabbing hold of the comic book. Before Ryoma glared at him, Nanjirou flicked his forehead, leaving him lying on his bed while comforting the aching sensation he suddenly felt.

"What do you want? If it's about your magazines, then I don't have that rubbish." Ryoma continued to graze his throbbing temple, not minding his father at all.

"No, and don't call my precious magazines as rubbish," Nanjirou shot a playful look, matched up with a sly grin.

Ryoma gazed at the weird antics his father was executing. He stared in pure irritation, conveying a message that he is about to explode if he won't talk. Able to process this information, Nanjirou chose to lie down beside him, earning another death glare from his stoic son.

"Hn." Ryoma's voice proved his displeasure, his golden orbs piercing through his father's clothing. Yet Nanjirou didn't seem to mind it at all.

"Here." Nanjirou handed a box, his furtive smile still lingering on his face.

Ryoma eyed him questioningly, sparingly gawking at the box he was holding as well. Nanjirou shrugged his shoulders as an answer, picking up the manga which was now lying on the floor. Ryoma grew tired of his father's quirks, eventually throwing a tennis ball towards his direction.

"Hey! Why did you do that?" Nanjirou shot a look of pain and gritted his teeth in infuriation.

Ryoma inaudibly raised the box, lifting his eyebrow upward in an inquiring manner. Nanjirou shrugged once again, yet this time, he chose the option of answering his son's query.

"Your mother just knew about Sakuno-chan's birthday last night. She was hysterical about it and dragged me out of bed just to hand that thing to you and deliver it to her." Nanjirou explained while scanning the said comic. "Hey, this is not hentai."

'_Of course it's not.' _Annoyed, Ryoma decided not to ruin his day with his father's early pestering. Instead, he just heaved an inward sigh.

"Are you even listening? I said—"

"Shut up, oyaji. And why do I have to do it?" Ryoma had lain on the bed once again, eyeing the box on his hand.

"Why you—" Nanjirou then glanced at his stubborn son, then a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Looks like a plan.

"Then I'll do it! Then I'll be able to see _Sakuno-chan _in a mini-skirt! Legs, legs! Here I come! This would be better than my confiscated manga—ow!" Nanjirou yelped in pain the moment the thick rolled manga met his perverted face.

Ryoma snatched the gift, leaving his cursing father on the floor. He walked out without another glance, shutting the door in a snap which caused the samurai to wince. The room grew quiet once again as Nanjirou was left behind to clean up the havoc they had created.

"Che. Overprotective much." Nanjirou chuckled in delight as he plopped down on his cocky son's bed.

* * *

She was late—and she knew it. Sakuno constantly tripped on her sandals, trying to be at the bus station on time. It would take another five minutes for her to get to school, and by the current situation, it would be impossible for her if she would miss the next bus. Turning on a corner, she smiled triumphantly as she spotted the station. Yet the relieved look on her face vanished as she witnessed the leaving means of transportation she had tied her hopes on.

"Wait! I-I need to ride!" Sakuno ran in hysteria, not minding her pained feet. Without doubt, the driver left without her onboard, leaving her on the bus station on her own.

"Great. Now I have to wait for the next bus. I'm gonna be late." Sakuno slumped on a nearby chair, sulking about her stupidity.

The slurping sound beside her caught her attention, only to find out that she wasn't alone. She gazed at the capped figure as he continued to drink milk from a carton. Piercing feline orbs stared back at her, and it made her realize who the lad was.

"Tsu-Tsukiyo-kun? Wh-Why are you still here?" Sakuno asked in between pants, not wanting to believe that her student was late for class as well.

"Overslept." Tsukiyo resumed on drinking, his impassive expression was gazing at the carton.

Sakuno sighed and drooped on her seat, easing the adrenaline rush she just had. It was funny on how she pictured Tsukiyo as Ryoma once again, albeit the difference in height. She shut her eyes gently, thanking her student for being the silent-type who didn't mind her presence at all.

"Are you coming or not, sensei?" A monotonic voice broke her nap, followed by the engine of the bus.

Sakuno jumped from her slouching position, taking hold of her things and jacket. She joined her student on the bus, eventually filling up the space beside an old woman as Tsukiyo sat beside an older lad. Sakuno covered herself with her jacket, trying to feel comfortable as she watched her student to gaze at the man beside him. She then smiled, thinking that he was being sociable. After their little chat, she began instructing Tsukiyo to wake her up the moment they would arrive at school. With his approving nod, she dozed off.

* * *

Ryoma eyed the stoic lad beside him as the gamin sipped on a carton of milk. He smirked as he pictured his thirteen-year-old self, gulping two bottles of milk everyday. He adjusted his position, taking hold of the box his father asked him to deliver to his _fiancee_. He breathed deeply, trying to comprehend on what he was going to say to her. Upon reflex, he glanced at the lad once more, only to catch him looking at his direction as well.

Ryoma impassively stared back, being too obstinate to look away. They continued their little game until the lad beside him had the courage to smirk and open his mouth.

"Echizen Ryoma." The lad uttered his name in crisp syllables, amusing the tennis prince.

"Hn." He curtly nodded, not knowledgeable of the smirk present on his own face.

The lad went back to his own business, interesting the feline-eyed lad more. Ryoma averted his gaze to the window, thoughts of his preteen years flashing through his mind. The unknown lad somewhat brought some nostalgic feeling back to his senses. Although unclear, those memories given by the boy to him really made him mentally compare his status by now as to what he was before.

A frown replaced his entertained expression, his mind filled with thoughts of his past. With another deep breath, he relatively shut his eyes as he tried to clear his brain. Ryoma then heard a faint, familiar tone chatting with the lad at his side, yet he didn't seem to mind. He gripped on the box once more, finally falling asleep.

* * *

Sakuno yawned on her table as her students left the room one by one. She had been late on her first class together with Tsukiyo, yet the lad wasn't able to receive any certain punishment because of her presence. She was somewhat amazed by the boy's cool attitude towards everything, the composed visage plastered on his face even at the darkest hours. Grinning to herself, she started packing her things, only to be called out by one of her students.

"Sensei! Your boyfriend's waiting for you outside! Kya!" The lass emerged on the doorstep with a huge blush on her face and screamed like a fan girl.

"Boyfriend? I don't have a—Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno stared at the man standing on the door. This was the only chance she had to study his features, since she was fidgety the night before and was unable to look straight into his face.

"He's so handsome, sensei!" Yuri whispered in her ear, making it turn into a rosy shade of pink.

Sakuno gave her a flushed look, asking her to leave the classroom for she has some matters to attend to. The remaining students whispered about their teacher, giggling and whistling as they exited the classroom. With the place empty, Ryoma let himself in, sitting on one of the desks in front.

Sakuno eyed him as he walked in casually, perching on a nearby desk without trouble. She sighed, occasionally making herself feel comfortable on the desk beside his.

"Wh-What can I do for you?" Sakuno averted her gaze to the floor, trying her best not to stutter in front of him.

Ryoma plopped his arm on the table, resting his cheek on his palm. He scrutinized her appearance, taking notice of her stressed look. He smirked as she gazed on the floor rather than him and stuttered again like before.

Before.

A grimace erased his amused gaze, the odd sensation clumping up on his throat. It seemed that he couldn't find the right words to spit, too afraid that he would mess up once again and miss this only chance to talk and make up with her. He slowly placed the box on the table, making the head of the flustered lass to jerk up in curiosity.

Sakuno raised her head as she heard a soft thump on the desk. Her eyes clashed with his golden orbs, quickly diverting her gaze on the package on the table. Her sweated palms hesitantly took hold of it and her eyes chose to look towards his features.

"It's a gift from mom. She wanted to give you a late birthday present." Ryoma dumped his cheek on his palm once again, intently gazing at the maiden in front of him.

"Oh." Sakuno mentally sighed, thanking the gods that it wasn't the small piece of jewelry she was expecting. She cautiously opened the lid, only to spot a pair of green ribbons. She placed the silky fabric on her hands, smiling to herself as she felt the smooth material on her skin.

Ryoma watched her angelic face as a small smile emerged from it. He doesn't know why, yet the feeling of being in front of her without any insecurity brought a great deal of relief on his part. He knew about the past, and the big mistake he did that made their developing relationship crash on the floor and break into a million pieces. He finally knew that it was his entire fault and he knew that he should apologize, yet still, his overwhelming ego got the better of him.

Sakuno jerked her head upwards, only to lock gazes with the gamin in front of her. She doesn't know why she didn't look away or why he didn't, too. The ribbons were long forgotten, and the golden orbs were the only thing she could see. She was once again captivated by its unknown emotion, and it made her melt inside. It made her feel comfortable and secure.

It made her feel loved.

Sakuno then diverted her eyes, afraid that the thoughts of spending the rest of her life with this man happily would flood her mind. She knew that it would be stupid for her to hope that he was happy with the news of them getting married. And just now, the emotion she saw on his eyes was foreign to her and she couldn't decipher it at all. With that final thought, she grasped on the ribbons tightly, gazing at its silky fabric once again.

"I'll be going." Sakuno offered a quick glance and a stiffened smile, gathering all her things in a swift manner.

"I'll walk you home." Ryoma stood up casually.

Ryoma tried to help her with her belongings, only to be snatched hastily by Sakuno. He was taken aback by Sakuno's actions and eyed her in a questioning manner. Sakuno just muttered an apology and said that she was fine and she doesn't want to bother him any longer. With the stutters, she left him alone in the classroom, standing in all his glory.

* * *

Ryoma couldn't comprehend the welling sensation inside him. The disappearance of her presence was clearly the reason for it, yet he chose to let it slip through. He didn't exactly know why, but the way she sidetracked her eyes away from his, when she rapidly packed her belongings and left him there alone somehow showed the insecurities she had when she was with him. He couldn't figure out what's with her coldness though. He couldn't really remember that he did something bad to her since he had been aware that he couldn't trust his memory. Added the fact that she's not the same old Ryuuzaki Sakuno; with two swinging pigtails, the girl who ultimately suck at directions, tennis and English. Of course, it was childish to think that she would keep her twelve-year-old self until that very moment. Now, he was pretty sure that everything (and everyone) he left eleven years ago or so changed.

Although he wanted to put the thought at the back of his mind, still, he couldn't keep himself from mulling over it again and again. He kept thinking about it as if he cared.

'_Che.' _Now he was on his way home, walking through the unobtrusive corridor of the school grounds.

Realizing completely what had happened earlier, all the prince did was to totally ignore it. After all, it has nothing to do with him. It was just all about her. What was he to do? He then closed his eyes, trying his best to remove the unusual feeling that he had.

Peculiarly, there was this thin, slight part of him telling that he should be hurt. That he should be afraid that she would regret their marriage. That he should be afraid that she would change from her old self. That he should be afraid that she would feel lonely.

"Che…seems that she's not the same old Ryuuzaki that I knew." Ryoma whispered and barely audible, without him knowing the presence of a stoic lad watching him from above.

**TBC.**


	6. Of Shindigs And Surprises

**VI. **_Of Shindigs and Surprises_

It was Saturday. Last day and then classes were through. Sakuno, unlike any other day, woke up unusually early this morning. _6:00 A.M. _Seeing the time, she would normally resume her rest, and then cram afterwards in going to work. Pretty different from this morning, though. She couldn't stand closing her eyes, for it reminded her of what she did the other time.

She should have given herself a pat on her back, right? Well, simply because she succeeded in having a little "revenge" to the prince by completely turning her back away from him with no stutters or nervousness shown at all. But why? Was she somehow guilty for turning down the prince's offer?

'_Ugh, this isn't going anywhere…' _she thought and decided to get herself up from the bed.

She fixed her mattress, took a quick bath, and arranged her stuffs for work. Then she suddenly walked pass by the present that made Ryoma went to her workplace yesterday. She picked it up, and then, unknowingly, a smile appeared from her face. All of the sudden, memories of she and Ryoma flashed back through her mind. When he used to teach her in tennis, walk her home after school and all that. But subsequently, she shook her head incessantly, for those thoughts were restricted for her to think. She then placed the largesse on top of her bedside table, stood up and looked herself in front of her mirror.

She kind of pitied herself, as she saw her reflection when the rays of the morning sun passed through the image-reflecting object. She was beautiful, really. After she fully blossomed during her high school years, no doubt that she got a lot of suitors as the day ran new. But then, she suddenly noticed those big eye bags, her two swollen orbs, and a shoulder-length hair brought by her dedication to her career, which made her frown.

'_Elbows too bent…Knees too stretched…Hair too long…' _

And then it hit her.

'_His reign in my life is over.'_

* * *

It was almost time for homeroom when Tsukiyo entered his classroom. But luckily, there was still no sign of his first period teacher. So lazily, he turned to his seat, sat down, and waited 'til the bell rang while taking a nap.

Unfortunately for him, his classmates, specifically girls, bugged him and interrupted his rest by chatting loud enough for him to clearly hear what they were talking about.

"Haven't you heard?" Yuri exclaimed, that made Tsukiyo move slightly. "Sensei's getting married!"

All of the other girls screamed brought by excitement as they heard the shocking news about their homeroom and music teacher.

Another student, Keiko, then replied, "Eh? Say, Yuri, where did you get that news from?" asking her a question with rather suspicions into it.

Yuri (probably a descendant of the infamous Osakada Tomoka) stood up from where she was sitting and answered her classmate's question with confidence. "From a reliable source I may say. And I actually saw the guy yesterday." She then flipped her hair, after seeing that her peers were totally astonished from the information she had just uttered.

"Come on…" Tsukiyo heard his classmates say, "Tell us! Don't be selfish!"

"Right! Come on Yuri-chan…" But even before she could start telling anything, the bell rang.

"Ow…shoot! The bell is always on the wrong timing…"

"Heh, I'll tell you guys on lunch time." Yuri declared, reassuring her fellow students of the rumor she was with.

On the other hand, Tsukiyo inwardly sighed, feeling somewhat relieved for he can be out when his classmates reiterate her story. At least, he's pretty sure he wouldn't hear those girls' bloody screams on the rooftop.

* * *

All eyes were on Sakuno the moment she entered her homeroom class. They were a bit of strange, creating no noise at all. She mentally examined her thirty-six students from head to toe for they had been staring at her from the beginning. It seemed like they wanted to tell her something.

"Class," she bemusedly asked, "is there anything you guys want to tell me?"

All of them -except Tsukiyo- shook their heads innocently.

"Really?" They nodded altogether.

After seeing that her class seemed fine, she began stating her announcement for the day.

"Okay then, see you guys later!" and with that, she opened the door and left.

"There's nothing strange happening to her. How could you say she's getting married?"

"Being strange has nothing to do with getting married. Use your heads!" Yuri uttered seemingly annoyed for what her classmate said perfectly showed a human having an intellect below average.

"Good morning, Hibari-sensei…" they greeted their first period teacher as the all grown up man entered their room.

* * *

An turned to her ringing cellular phone. It was a bit odd, since she never got calls at that time. Yeah, Momoshiro certainly made sure that he always called her. But, he did go to work. So, who could that be?

"Moshi moshi?"

After moments of chatting through the phone, she hung up with an obvious grin on her features. And she wasted no time for instantly she filed for an emergency leave.

"This is going to be fun…" her officemates heard her say as she was getting ready to leave. All of them sweat dropped.

* * *

The class was almost done for the day. Sakuno continued to blabber about the different kinds of notes and rests for more than fifteen minutes or so. On the other hand, her students, with smiles that never left their faces, persistently stared at her with their eyes lit in delight.

Of course, Tsukiyo, with the attitude he has, would not want to join his classmates' business. And for all he cares, he would just rip off his two ears, or would happily want to be stuck in a remote island for roughly a whole month than to listen to his fellow students(especially Yuri) do all the talking, blabbering, gossiping about their teacher.

But although pinning his ears in rumors had never been in his vocabulary, it's quite hard to admit that there's a tiny part of him curious about the truth if his sensei's getting married or not. After all, Ryuuzaki Sakuno was the first human belonging to the female specie who ever caught his attention since he started schooling.

"Almost done!" Sakuno exclaimed. Finally, she was already on the last part for the day's lesson. "Any questions, so far?"

"Oh! Sensei! Sensei! Pick me!" said Yuri who almost fell off her seat because of her excitement of confirming the rumors that was widespread throughout the four corners of their classroom. She stood straight and looked directly to Sakuno's eyes.

"Yes, Yuri-chan?"

"Sensei, I want to know…no, actually, we all want to know…"

"Okay, go on…"

"Are you getting married?"

Sakuno tried not to fall flat with her student's sudden question concerning her upcoming marriage. Needless to say, she was kind of afraid to answer that specific query.

"A-anou, Yuri-chan, I—" But as they say, children, as pushy as they always were, would not give up easily, wouldn't they?

"Come on, sensei! Some of us saw the guy yesterday…"

"Yeah, is he the groom?"

"He's just so handsome!"

"Like a prince!"

"A prince coming for his princess… Aw…such a nice story."

"Oh! And they both live happily ever after…"

"Sensei…please?" her class begged her imitating the eyes of an innocent, little puppy. But before she could tell a thing, someone knocked at the door.

'_Ugh…damn!' _all of them unanimously thought.

The person behind the door was another teacher with a fine physique and a rather fair complexion. Thank goodness he's a teacher or else, he would instantly end up hospitalized. Furthermore, the teacher wasn't that familiar with the students for he had never been on the third floor where the freshmen used to stay. Well, unlike today, though.

'_Sure, unusual things keep coming…' _Yuri merely shook her head in disbelief. She really wanted to authenticate the rumor she started. Or else no one would believe her in case she would hear another one. '_Is this a bad omen or something?' _

The new-faced teacher and Sakuno talked quite long, three minutes or so. Their faces were pretty serious. It seemed that they were talking about something essential. Something that could probably affect the entire human race…

Surprisingly, after their dialogue, Sakuno quickly walked out from the room and hurriedly went downstairs. So, their talk was that important after all. It was really quite puzzling for a teacher to immediately leave her class when the time still wasn't over.

"Ah, sensei?" Keiko asked that made the teacher look at her direction. "Where will Ryuuzaki-sensei go?"

"Someone phoned her. Something came up, I guess. I would be taking her place for a while until she came back." The teacher replied politely as he took the center and rested his right arm on the elevated table near him.

"Moshi moshi?" Sakuno hysterically started a conversation, afraid of the consequences awaiting her.

"_Oh, Sakuno! Thank God! This is Tomoka speaking._" A loud yet rasped voice broke from the other line, bringing more pain in her stomach.

"T-Tomo-chan? What's with the sudden call?" Sakuno tried to inquire.

"_Sakuno, it's about your grandmother. She—_"

"She what?" Sakuno's concerned voice radiated from the stairwell.

"_She suddenly fell down from the stairs and hit her head on the ground. But she's safe, don't worry. All you need to do is to help me get clothes from your house because the doctor said that they should still further examine her to ensure her safety. I'm terribly sorry for what had happened. Ne, I would be waiting here at your house then I would accompany you to the hospital after we got all that we needed." _Tomoka explained in haste, reassuring the lass that her grandmother was fine.

"Sure, I would be right there. I would just need to get permission from the principal. Thanks for informing me. See you later. Bye."

Sakuno, after hanging up, quickly went to the principal's office and asked the consent needed for her to pick Tomoka from their house to go directly to the hospital and see her grandmother's condition. Certainly, she was more than anxious to think the fact that her grandmother was hospitalized. Not to mention that the older Ryuuzaki was her only known living relative besides few who resided overseas. All her friends, acquaintances, and such may go leave her, but absolutely not her grandma, for she had been the closest to her since both of her parents died. And thinking of all the possible things that would happen to the old woman could probably drove all her sanity away instantly.

There, she realized that one part of her personality still haven't grown out and removed from her all those years: her vulnerability. And even though she tried of maintaining her composure by not crying, her efforts, as unfortunate as it may seem, were not enough to stop her from shedding her tears.

* * *

Meanwhile-

"I'm such a genius, you know that?" said Tomoka with a grin that never left her.

"But maybe…you overdid it, Tomo-chan." Ann uttered, worrying for the maiden. "It's not right to put her grandma on the way."

"It would be just fine, An-chan. She would not mind if I were to give other reasons besides that. And she must understand. This would be a perfect time in making her relax a bit."

"Now, should I contact the others about this?"

"You better be."

* * *

"_Oi, Echizen._"

"Hn?"

"_Don't 'Hn' me. I would be talking about some important matters with you." _

"Really? About what?"

"_Don't ask. Just come."_

Then the caller hanged up. Ryoma was pretty sure it was Momoshiro whom he had spoken to a while ago. Though it was quite unusual to say the least, since whenever that previous senpai of his phoned him, it would be something like, "Oi, Echizen! Ohohoho…come over here and play tennis with me! This time I would definitely win!"…or something basically similar to that. The matter must be of prime importance to make his happy-go-lucky friend that serious. However, he couldn't comprehend why all of a sudden, things sure went strange. He moaned in defeat as he stood up from the couch and decided that he should go and attend to whatever his former senpai was talking about.

* * *

On the other hand-

"Nya, are you sure O'chibi's going to come?"

"Pretty much like it, Eiji-senpai." Momoshiro declared in utter delight. For sure this would be one happy memorable moment for their ever dear kouhai.

"That would be 79.512 percent to be precise." Inui muttered clinging to his ever trusty notebook.

"Creepy." Momoshiro and Kikumaru chorused.

"Ei, were all of you done with your task?"

"Mama Oishi," Kikumaru said putting his right hand to his doubles partner's shoulder and doing a 'V' sign on his left, "you shouldn't worry too much you know. Heart diseases are pretty much common nowadays."

"Are you sure we're going to do this?"

"Oishi, this is not the right time to think about such things." Fuji replied with a grin, as always, plastered on his face. Though saying 'as always' could be considered an understatement.

"C'mon Oishi-senpai, I could see you're pretty much into it, too!" Momoshiro cried resembling a pre-schooler. Oishi let out a deflated sigh. Sure, being their fuku-buchou back there at junior high school and even until now wasn't really as easy as others anticipated.

"Yosh!" Kikumaru exclaimed. "This would then be called the 'OPERATION: Make O'chibi and Sakuno-chan together!'"

"Operation what?"

"Well, count my Super Ultra Mega Inui Juice Remix 2010 in. I would be more than willing to have it all for you." Inui mirthfully offered.

"INUI!" Everyone, except Fuji, bellowed in disgust.

There he was, in front of Momoshiro's house. Ryoma wasn't even sure why he came by. He didn't even have a clue of what would be the reason he _should_ come.

'_Che. Must be one of Momo-senpai's dirty tricks. What could this one be?' _He thought as he approached the house's entrance and opted to ring the doorbell.

"Oi, guys! He's here!"

"Are you guys ready?" Momoshiro blurted out a question. As if on cue, all of them went to their designated places.

"Yosh! The 'OPERATION: Make O'chibi and Sakuno-chan together!' is about to begin, nya!"

…3…

…2…

…1…

EIIIINNKK!

* * *

"_Moshi moshi?"_

"_Ei, Ann-chan. This is Tomoka speaking."_

"_Tomo-chan? Why calling at this time? You know I'm at—"_

"_I know. I'm pretty much knowledgeable about that. But see, we have to plan something like a bridal shower for Sakuno-chan. You know, like a party…"_

"_But, Tomo-chan, bridal showers are done like a day before the wedding. We all don't have any idea when their wedding is about to come."_

"_Yeah, you're right."_

"_Weren't you too fast about thinking those?"_

"_Well, it could also be Sakuno-chan's day off. Because, she really never went to parties since she started her profession as a teacher. C'mon! I think it would be fun…"_

"_Okay, then. After all, I would also want to see Sakuno-chan regain her normal self after that incident with Ryoma-san…ne?"_

"_Yosh! It's settled then. I would be meeting Sakuno at her house then you all go to Momo-chan-senpai's house, for the party would be held there. And oh! Ryoma should be there, too! After all, he's the groom right?"_

"_What? Bridal showers only include the soon-to-be bride and her girl friends! What was that suppose to mean? And besides, grooms were not allowed to see the bride right before the wedding. For the wedding might be postponed."_

"_You're being too superstitious. I didn't mean like a real bridal shower, Ann-chan. After all, you were the one insisting that we all didn't know the date of her wedding. So, it would be like a party of us giving our blessings to the soon-to-be couple…ne?"_

"_Ahh…so that's what you mean. Oh yeah, must be exhausted from my job here. Ne, are you all ready there?"_

"_Well, that's the reason I called you. We should put our heads together for us to think of a way to make those two come to Momo-chan-senpai's house."_

"_H-hey! I know a way!"_

"_How?"_

"_Well, I would tell you the moment I got there. See 'ya!"_

* * *

"Sakuno-chan! Over here!" Tomoka shouted waving her hand as the other maiden approach their house's main entrance.

Sakuno panted heavily as she ran all the way from the school to the house. She was damn worried about the condition of her grandmother that she didn't even think of riding a vehicle to arrive faster to her destination. Just like the Sakuno from before, having the 'act before you think' attitude that she had not shown since _that _day onwards. Tomoka simply held her forehead. She never did expect that she would act like that. But the plan had just begun.

'_Mada mada dane, Sakuno-chan.' _Tomoka rubbed her temples after recovering from the somewhat comical act her best friend did. '_That quote that Ryoma-san always says could be useful sometimes. I've always wanted to say that.'_

"Eh? Tomo-chan? Should we go now?" Sakuno made her snap back to reality.

"O-oh…right."

"Should we go get a cab? I would call one now if you want."

"N-no need. Besides, we're not in a hurry. So walking from here 'til there would be fine. Ne?" Tomoka answered, suddenly remembering of what her senpai-tachi told her.

"_We should think of a way on how to keep her away until we're done." Oishi inquired._

"_Wait, how about we would walk together, then I would wait for a signal or something?" Tomoka suggested._

"_Right. I'll call you the moment we're done." Fuji stated._

"_Hai." Tomoka answered with confidence._

"Okay." Sakuno said, seemingly suspecting her long-time best friend. "And how about Obaa-chan's luggage? We're not that strong enough to carry those from here."

"We're not really bringing luggage or whatsoever to your obaa-chan, Sakuno."

"What? You mean obaa-chan's not really sick as what you told me earlier?"

"No, that's not it, silly." Tomoka inwardly sighed for she thought she would be caught that early. "I brought those ahead before I even call you."

"Then why—"

"I know you're now wondering why I said that. Why we're here now instead of us in the hospital with your grandma…am I right?" The other maiden nodded.

"Well, see, I never had a real and deep conversation with you since that day right?" Tomoka shifted their moods to make herself less suspicious. "I mean a real one. 'Cause we obviously talk almost everyday." Meanwhile, Sakuno remained silent. Was this all about Ryoma again?

"Now," Tomoka stated, "I want to ask you, are you happy about you getting married? It was Ryoma-san after all, the lad who you gave all your self to, made you cry and all that. Are you ready? All of your unwanted consequences could be with you the moment you agreed having legal ties with him. "

"I would not want to fail grandma, that's all." Sakuno replied. "She had been by my side all throughout. Through everything… she always made sure that I would end up smiling after all those. Even if it could hurt me, I would gladly accept it. Even if I would have to face the person whom I wouldn't want any relation with, I still would. Grandma had been the one dearest to me, and so I was to her."

"Well, what can I say? You never failed my expectations." Tomoka cried, intensely touched with what her friend answered to her question.

"Eh?"

"You had always been like that, so…selfless, not thinking of yourself before others. You really are my best friend, Sakuno-chan. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Very much welcome." Then suddenly, her phone rang. Alas, that's the signal that she had been waiting for, and would mean that they should go to their destination. She picked her phone up, then after hearing bits of instruction, she turned it off.

"Yosh, Sakuno-chan! Should we go?"

"O-oh, yeah!"

* * *

"O'CHIBI! SURPRISE!"

"A-ah...what's this all about?" Ryoma's ever pestering senpai-tachi came rushing towards him the moment he opened the front door.

'_Just as I thought…' _So he was right after all. Knowing his senpai for years, it would be a 0.01 percent chance that he would make any miscalculations, as what Inui would say. But even before he started complaining about him being tricked, all his vision went black.

"Opps…sorry." Momoshiro stated for he just made the famous tennis prodigy lose his consciousness by hitting him a bit hard on the nape.

"Was that even necessary? That hurts you know." Having a nurturing mother ability-like attitude as he always had, Oishi exclaimed worriedly.

"Yay! Mission accomplished everyone!" Kikumaru bellowed and jumped happily like he just received a present from Santa, although this would be an underestimation.

"Mada mada dane, Eiji." Fuji interrupted, and that made Kikumaru cringed a bit because of his sudden presence.

"We're already 50.71 percent complete with the plan. We still have Ryuuzaki-san to work on, though." Inui explained, moving his glasses. "But before that, we have to put him inside…_that._"

"O-oh…yeah. Roger that." As if on cue, Momoshiro carried the unconscious tennis prince to God knows where. Well, according to Inui, they have to put him inside…_that_. But wherever _that _may be, certainly the plan had just begun.

"How about you guys? Ready, nya?" Kikumaru asked the other maidens, Ann and the older Ryuuzaki, who got finished just before the arrival of the 'target'.

"Aye, aye, we're ready."

"Good." Fuji complimented. "Those two should be here any minute now. We're just about to go upstairs and I just thought we could give that lad a lesson before the day of their marriage." All of them winced as the tensai continued to petrify them.

'_I love to see faces like that.'_

* * *

"T-Tomo-chan. We're supposed to be going to the hospital right? Why are we on the way to Momo-chan-senpai's house?" Sakuno asked baffled of what was really going on.

"Oh, I just remembered," Tomoka replied, "I was asked to go there by Momo-chan-senpai. The one who called earlier? That's him. But we wouldn't be there for that long."

"Okay."

Not long after, both of them reached their former senpai's house. Sakuno didn't like this feeling inside her, making her nervous and all that. It looked as if something bad would be happening.

"Sakuno-chan? Aren't you going to come with me?" Tomoka asked her friend when they finally arrived at their destination.

"Should I?"

"Of course. Come, let's go."

Opening the front door…

"SAKUNO-CHAN! SURPRISE!"

"Eh?" Yeah, after all those preparations to make her in complete surprise, all she could say was a rubbish reply, not what they expected.

"What? Was it that awful?" Ann said disgracefully. Sakuno then shook her head and placed an ecstatic smile on her face. "No. I liked it. But what was this all about? You could have just informed me about this, and I would gladly come. You shouldn't—"

"Stop it. You were lying. I know you would _gladly _decline coming. I know you." Tomoka interjected in a way that made all of them tumble with laughter.

"Now stop it." Ann butted in Tomoka's childish frenzy. "Let's get this thing on."

"Yeah!" all of them chorused.

"Who's up for some tequila?" Ryuuzaki Sumire interpolated, having a tequila glass on her right hand.

"Obaa-chan? Weren't you—wait, don't tell me they were—ugh, I knew it." Sakuno crossed her arms and twitched her eyebrows in fury.

"You know Sakuno," Tomoka then put her left arm on her friend's shoulder. "Sometimes, you should just go with the flow. Am I right or…am I right? Wait, did I just say right? Oh well—"

Sakuno covered her nose and pushed Tomoka aside. "Tomo-chan, you're drunk. I can't believe you already fall for it in just one shot."

"Well, you could—" _hiccup "_never tell—" _hiccup "_right?"

"Oh, never mind her, Sakuno-chan. She's just exhausted. Just enjoy yourself with the party 'kay?" Nanako uttered discreetly. "Besides, you're soon-to-be husband is enjoying himself, too…upstairs."

"Oh yeah," Ann compromised and winked at the puzzled maiden. "Well, I just hope the boys didn't go far over the top. I sincerely wish for Ryoma-san's safety."

"Yeah, me too."

"What are you two talking about? You didn't necessarily mean he's in danger…ne?"

"Hope so." The two spoke in unison.

"Where exactly is he?"

"Upstairs."

"Right."

* * *

"Hey, looks like he's awake."

"Aww…" Ryoma just caught his consciousness back up and realized that he was in a small, darkened room. He examined the place he was in and took notice of a big box with ribbons enclosed neatly in a weirdly-looking gift wrap that was laid on the room's carpet. "Eh, what's with the big present?"

"Ohoho…I just thought you would like it. Pretty?" Momoshiro taunted the tennis prince. Well, he couldn't just help teasing him, seeing that all of them, including him, would be having a pretty interesting night.

"Not a chance." Ryoma replied nonchalantly.

"We just knew you would say that." Inui notified.

"But not until you see what's inside it." Fuji uttered and that made the young prodigy confused of what was really going on.

"Inside it?" was all Ryoma could react.

"Ready boys?" Just then, two seductively-looking lass walked in, with rather thick make-ups and costumes that would seem like their souls have gone because of what they were wearing, and took center stage.

"READY!"

"I knew this would be _just _fun!" Kikumaru screamed in delight.

"Okay, here it goes!"

* * *

Ryuuzaki Sakuno was more that curious of what was going on with Echizen Ryoma, the groom-to-be. Of course, why else would she care? He didn't deserve being cared. And besides, he should pay for all the things he had done to her. His coldness, his cockiness, and the one he did _that _day. But thinking of such things would just make her guiltier from the way she offered a cold shoulder in return for the lad's polite demeanor the other day. And what the two older women informed her earlier would mean something. It could be something like it would make his life in complete jeopardy.

'_Oh, what am I thinking? I'm completely overreacting for goodness' sake!' _she couldn't help but to slap her face to prevent herself from being carried away.

She then halted seeing a secluded room at the inner most part of the house.

"This is where he should be probably at." Then she started knocking to the door.

* * *

"WOOH! Heaven's here on earth!"

Ryoma shook his head as he saw all his senpai-tachi (excluding Tezuka, because he's not there at the moment) enjoyed their little 'surprise' they had for him. Well, the thing behind the 'present' they were talking about earlier was a woman, who probably in the middle of her twenties, dancing seductively in front of them. He really didn't like these stuff. All women, vices and such were certainly out of his vocabulary, to say the least. Not that he's a gay or what, but since tennis was his topmost priority, he had never given himself a chance to like those.

"C'mon O'chibi!" yelled Kikumaru. "Enjoy yourself. Don't be such a kill joy."

"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy ourselves ne? Go, and enjoy yourselves to your heart's content. I would tell all of your girlfriends, or—oh yeah, wives about it. You wouldn't want to get caught would you? I'm out of here." Then with a smirk he decided to stand up from the couch he was sitting.

"Na-a-ah...where do you think you're going?" But, unluckily for him, they were seven and he was one, how could he possibly get out of there…alive?

"Let me out, would you?" Ryoma hollered. "Heh, might as well shout for _you _to be caught."

"Think that we're that dumb young man?"

"Why? Aren't you one?" Ryoma answered confidently.

"Why you—"

"Momo-chin, don't worry." Kikumaru winked that made the prodigy more than willing to hit each one of them. If he only had a racket and a tennis ball, that is.

"Just so you know, Echizen…" then again, the data man of the group began murmuring countless percentages that made all of their eyes popped out from their sockets.

"Inui, get it straight to the point!"

"Well, what I've been trying to point out is that, this room is 100.52 percent sound proof. There is no way a person behind that door can here a thing." All of them stumbled after all those bloody lectures about percentages earlier.

"So… that was it?" Ryoma tried not to fall flat from where he was standing.

"Seems so." Fuji riposted. "Alyssa-chan, go and give our groom-to-be the 'benediction' for his marriage."

"WOOH! This is fun!" all of them shouted in chorus.

"Definitely…not." Ryoma retorted.

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

All their eyes turned to where that specific sound came from.

'_Thank goodness…' _was all Ryoma could mutter at the back of his head.

"Momoshiro," Oishi ordered. "Open the door."

"I'm on it. I'm on it, okay?" then slowly, he opened the door in total curiosity of who's behind it.

'_Not Ann. Please, whoever besides Ann…' _he silently prayed. Opening his eyes, he was more than surprised to see the figure appearing in front of him.

"Momo-senpai."

"Ryuuzaki-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Well," Sakuno looked down before she could manage to continue what she was trying to say. "I was just wondering if…Ryo—I mean Echizen-san could be here. You know, I was just—uhm…It's not what you're probably thinking I—I think I shouldn't be doing this. I mean I—is he there?"

"Oh you mean Echizen?" he couldn't help but grinning when he looked the reaction of the lass when she saw him. "Don't be ridiculous. You'd be an Echizen in the future. Wait, I'll call him."

"ECHIZEN!" Momoshiro bellowed, loud enough for all of them to hear him. "Your little girlfriend—oh, my bad—I mean, your fiancée is here."

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Yeah, got that right! C'mon sloth. She's waiting for you!" then Momoshiro turned to face the dazed maiden. "Oh, sorry to give you worries, Ryuuzaki-chan. That brat just needed some 'rituals' to make him a complete man."

"Rituals? What exactly do you mean, Momo-senpai?"

"Yeah, what exactly do _you _mean?" Ryoma came interrupting their conversation.

"Nothing brat." The older lad replied that made the maiden scratch her head in confusion. "Well, might as well enjoy your time with your wife-to-be. And we're the ones who are going to enjoy _these._"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Later!" Then Momoshiro closed the door, leaving those two behind.

* * *

Then the two decided to go to the nearby veranda, which made them a bit comfortable for they both wanted complete silence.

"Thanks for saving me back there." Ryoma said out of the blue. He wasn't the type of person who begins conversations. But for once, he did.

"Welcome, I guess."

Both enjoyed the deafening stillness in between that seemed infinite. No nosy senpais, no crowded parties and such. Just the two of them. It didn't seem like there were some unwanted past in their midst.

"Haven't you expected something like this is going to happen?" Now, Sakuno was the first to talk.

"Knowing them, I would expect nothing but these."

The gust of wind made Sakuno shiver a bit. But, for once, she did not feel any insecurity within her. Something that Ryoma somewhat gave her.

'_Could it be that I'm back with my feelings for him years ago?_' her thoughts were cut off when Ryoma put something on her shoulders.

"You should wear something thick you know. You may not know whether diseases could hit you."

"T-thanks." Then suddenly remembered that she shouldn't be like this, for this could lead her to _fall _for him once again. That was definitely wrong. Absolutely. "But I think I don't need these." Then put away the coat the lad offered her.

"I insist."

"Woah, woah, woah…look who's here? The two lovebirds." Ryuuzaki Sumire entered the scene. _Darn it. _"Aren't you two enjoying _your _party?"

"Obaa-chan! Don't go like surprising someone with your presence." Sakuno demanded.

"Oh? Did I go surprise and ruin your lovey-dovey? Might as well come back later." The older Ryuuzaki teased.

"Mou, that's not it."

"Do you need us for anything, Ryuuzaki-sensei?" Ryoma decided that it was his time to talk.

"Oh, of course." Ryuuzaki-sensei suddenly remembered something. "I thought you two might want to know the date of your wedding I assume." Both of them remained silent.

"It's next week."

The two couldn't believe what they just heard.

"Pardon?" Sakuno said all of a sudden.

"Next week." Sumire repeated loud enough for their systems to absorb it well. "See 'ya downstairs."

"WHAT?"

**TBC.**


	7. The Making I

**VII.**_The Echizen-Ryuuzaki Nuptials: The Making Part I_

It was such a tiring day, especially after a 'bloody' party. He never did anticipate that the planned wedding would be so sudden. And asking his father questions about it was never an option for him since it never led to a serious conversation anyway.

"Che." Ryoma slumped on the sofa, a scowl present on his face.

He didn't like how things were going since he unexpectedly felt jitters whenever the topic was brought up. The ceremony was about to take place in a week and didn't even know where to start. He also felt quite troubled with the marriage as emotions stirred on the pit of his stomach. Thinking about what he should do about it, his brows furrowed even more, catching the attention of his adoptive brother who came absolutely from nowhere.

"Oi, Chibisuke. What's with the scary face?" Echizen Ryoga's grinning appearance was gazing at Ryoma's darkening scowl as he waited for his retort.

Ryoma then glared at his brother, not bothering to even bicker at his question. He, in its place, retorted with another, saying, "What are you doing here? And where are you from?" accompanied by an annoyed snort as he crossed his arms that somewhat hid his surprise for his brother's abrupt arrival.

"The big day is next week right? I heard it from Oyaji." Ryoga asked and that made Ryoma's frown deepen as it was earlier.

"If it is, and so…? You act as if it does concern you." But Ryoma chose to answer coolly instead as his older sibling faked a surprised expression on his visage seeing that Ryoma had grown so much. "And you—"

"You sure know how to answer questions, Chibisuke." Ryoma was cut off by one of Ryoga's expected taunts. "And of course, it does concern me. Well, I'm here to sup—"

"Don't even dare to mention that word to me. I don't need anything from you." But of course, Ryoma wouldn't let the 'Taunt Contest' to be won by his brother easily. _Mada mada dane_as he would say_._

"Che. You should be happy that I accepted your offer for me to be your 'best man'. You sure are lucky, Chibi—" This made Ryoma face him with a prideful look that made Ryoga's goofy grin widened.

"You're my what?"

"Best man, Chibisuke. _Best man._Does knowing your marriage have your hearing impaired?" Ryoga's scoffs intensified.

"I never said anything like that." Ryoma was absolutely certain that he didn't mention something that connected the words 'best man' and his brother's name.

"Bingo. I never said anything that _you_said that." Ryoga replied; his grin still never left him for one bit. "But I came here all the way from nowhere just to be _your_best man. Aren't you pleased in any way? Well, of course you should, but—"

"No. And stop rambling. You're annoying." Ryoma decided to end the 'match' by the 'compliment' he gave.

"Che. You'll see." Ryoga then left him all alone on the sofa and headed towards the kitchen ("I'm getting some Ponta. Oh, and make me your best man…or else…") as the younger Echizen translated his brother's antics. Ryoma ruffled his hair, still wearing a frown on his face, not knowing what else he can do. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he thought a lot about how this new life he was to have would turn out.

"Ryoma?" A calm voice broke his train of thoughts. "Are you okay?" Ryoma then opened his eyes.

"Okaa-san." He acknowledged his mother's presence, providing enough space for her to sit on the sofa as well.

"I made you some tea." Rinko poured a cupful for both of them. "It looks like you're a bit distracted. Mind telling me?" She smiled at her son as she handed the mug to him.

"Thanks." Ryoma stared at his blurred reflection, his orbs completely compelled within his thoughts. "It's about—"

"About the wedding, I suppose." Rinko knew exactly what his son was thinking. It was about the wedding prepared for him without his knowledge. Rinko knew well that Ryoma hates being manipulated, being his mother for years. And especially if they were talking about his future, more precisely, his _marriage._ It wasn't that she ignored that fact when she, Nanjirou, and Sumire met up about the engagement. It wasn't it.

She watched him for some time, not wanting to distract the inner battle her son was currently experiencing. It was pretty obvious that the lad couldn't understand the sudden turn of events and steer of emotions that was out of his familiarity. And as the young man calmly sat there beside her with the cup of tea in his hand, Rinko chuckled lightly, only to catch her son's attention.

"Are you nervous?" Rinko teased him for a while with some light giggles, only to receive a glower as a reply.

"Is the tea delicious?" Ryoma eyed his mother suspiciously as Rinko continued to gaze at her own cup.

Not hearing a reply from her son, she immediately put her own cup down and smiled brightly at his direction. This action surprised the lad for a second and decided to give a curious glance. Rinko then placed her hands atop of his, and said:

"You will not know its taste if you'll just stare at it." Rinko sighed and eyed him. "Even though the color is unappetizing, it is vastly different from its flavor. Without taking the risk of moving towards another step and sipping some from the cup will not lead you to anything." Ryoma, in return, twitched his brows, a sign that he couldn't grasp any of her mother's metaphors and other figures of speech.

With that, Rinko continued. "Even though you have known tea for long, you would still hesitate on drinking it when you find an odd color or scent. Yet if you'll take your chances and try, you'll eventually find out that it is worth it after all. Do you understand?"

Ryoma's golden orbs blinked as his mother placed her right hand on his head. A tiny smile emerged from the corner of his lips, saying inwardly that he did understand it finally. He knew that his mother was trying to point out that the wedding ceremony between Sakuno and himself would bring forth greater opportunities. And with his final nod, he told her that he would give it a shot.

"Take care of her, Ryoma." Rinko winked at his smirking figure. "Now go prepare!"

"Hn." Ryoma stood up from his chair and picked up his phone.

"_Yo, Echizen."_

"Momo—"

"_Oh boy, I knew you would call. Need a hand?"_

* * *

"Obaa-chan, you must be all out of your minds! It's impossible for us to be together!" Sakuno clarified as they ate brunch. "And besides that, a wedding to be prepared just within a week? You're must be in a hurry, but it's too good to be true."

"Don't worry about it. Most of the preparations had been cleared. Nanjirou, Rinko-san and I did most of them and you just need to do some things for yourself." Sumire watched her granddaughter's frenzy yet remained her calm, reassuring smile. "And please, pull yourself together and stop your tantrums will you? You're not yet married, mind you."

"That's the point, obaa-chan. How can you say we're ready even if we're not?"

"You'll be ready enough when you're both in there."

Sakuno, not wanting to argue with her grandma, leaned on her chair, still restless about the issue. It would be a lie if she would tell them that she wasn't worried about how the preparations would be handled, including herself and Ryoma, too. She wasn't even sure of her own feelings, and Ryoma's feelings, in return. And it was, in fact, her wedding ceremony after all. A wedding was considered a dream of every woman alive, of marrying the man you love and have loved you, which, in their case, turned out to be the other way, that made her think that she wouldn't want to turn it into a farce. Sakuno's serious demeanor remained within her face, her scrunched up nose and furrowed brows ceased to hide her current distress. After eating, Sakuno decided to rest on the living room for a while, only to be halted by a series of knocking on the front door.

"Sakuno, can you see who it is? I'm washing the dishes." Her grandmother's thunderous voice echoed throughout the whole house.

Sakuno abruptly stood up from the couch and went straight towards the door. Lightly peering onto the eyepiece, her chocolate orbs went wide for a second and the locks were frantically released.

"Tomo-chan! Ann-chan! What are you doing here?" Sakuno inquired with an astonished face.

"Is that a way to welcome your guests?" Tomoka smirked as Sakuno flushed beet red. "We'll explain once we're inside."

"Y-Yeah. Sorry about that." Sakuno's rosy complexion died back down to normal as she welcomed the two lasses to enter the house.

Tea was already set on the center table as they entered the living room. Sumire welcomed their guests as well and sat down with them on the couch. It had been exactly ten hours since the party (it was held on midnight) and the three were pleasantly chatting about their congratulations about the wedding.

"Oh! Look at what we brought!" Tomoka looked into her shoulder bag in a hurried pace as Ann did the same with hers. "Here." They both handed two folders towards the Ryuuzakis.

Sakuno raked the envelopes inside the pink folder, only to be fascinated by the striking designs of the invitation cards. There were different themes on each, a diverse quote on each one. The silver-plated ones caught her outmost interest as her hands traced the copperplate letters embossed on the front cover.

"Ryuuzaki-san told us that the theme for your wedding was blue so we tried to receive a few samples with the matching color for the invitations. You just need to talk it over with Ryoma-sama to finalize your decisions." Tomoka ended her talk with a wink and handed her the green folder.

"_Ryoma-sama_?" An eyed her sadistically as she poked Tomoka on her left rib. "Back to that again, huh?"

Tomoka ignored her teasing and continued on handing Sakuno the folder.

The brochures on the green folder did mesmerize her once again. The dazzling design for her wedding gown was displayed right in front of her eyes. The detailed embroideries and fine silky feel for the pictures and drawings left her awestruck in her chair. Each angle was different in its own way and brought a new ray of emotions about every time she gazed at them. The other three savored her current state, happily discussing about how they were able to track down such a beautiful dress.

"The venue for the wedding proper and the reception area had been reserved, together with the wedding minister(1). I had already contacted Atobe for the available flowers for your bouquet. We just need to go there today for you to pick some yourself." Sumire scanned the invitations as she explained most of the cleared preparations.

Sakuno looked at them in bewilderment, trying to ponder why they were too frantic to prepare for the biggest day of her life. It wasn't incomprehensible, and that was for a fact. She, after all, wasn't called a teacher for nothing. But her insecurities, such as the thought of both Ryoma and her feelings were unclear, and of course, her pride that practically built walls to conserve her new self, kept her from feeling the bliss that should be manifested up 'til her insides.

"I don't know if—" She was about to retort, to let them know that she should be free of whether she wanted to be married or not, yet obviously misunderstood by people around her.

"Oh no, Sakuno-chan. You need not to thank us. What are bridesmaids for? Now, let's settle with you meeting your groom." An dialed her phone, hoping that the person on the other line is with Ryoma.

"_Ah! An, why'd you call? I'm busy right now if you're asking for a date."_ The loud voice from the other line rang through Ann's ears.

"Shut up, Takeshi. Is Echizen with you?"

* * *

Ryoma blamed himself for calling his former senpai in order to help him plan his wedding. He called Momoshiro for the personal reason that he wanted to share this endeavor for both of them alone, yet, it seemed that the older lad brought the other seven with them. It looked like a reunion from the horrendous party they set up for themselves the night before and it felt extremely annoying whenever they ranted about something concerning the wedding preparations.

"So what did your father say, Echizen? Were some arrangements done already? It sure is stupid if all would be done within a week. An and I would need a year to prepare!" Momoshiro sipped on his cola.

"Ne, O'chibi, you asked Ryuuzaki-chan about your plans, nya?" Eiji gobbled on a burger as bread crumbs remained on his cheeks.

"Echizen, I would prefer to be the photographer. Yet it's quite tempting to only capture photos of _Sakuno-chan_ while on her wedding gown." Fuji grinned at Ryoma's glowering face, fascinated on how fast Ryoma his former kouhai could be so jealous with just a few words. Let alone his continuous rants that he had no feelings for the lass.

"Oyaji told me to fix the tux." Ryoma leaned on his chair while munching on his fries, not minding the whispers from his companions.

"There's a boutique owned by Tooyama at Hijinzo Market Center, five kilometers from here, which sells wedding suits that may fit your image, Echizen." Inui adjusted his glasses as he clasped his notebook shut.

"Let's go." Tezuka stood up, eventually followed by the others outside the burger joint.

They split up as they reached their cars parked by the sidewalk. Since only Ryoma, Fuji and Inui brought theirs, the others decided to separate and meet each other on the said shop. At mid-twenties, these tennis prodigies dug a lot of money from winning competitions from time to time, thus, having a lot of luxuries in life. They do other jobs as well, since they only considered tennis as a hobby and not a career (unlike Ryoma).

"Echizen, it would be better to wear a white one—wait." Momoshiro's effort on a conversation was halted by the vibration of his phone.

Ryoma glanced at his friends at the back of his car since he didn't permit them to ride on the passenger's seat which sooner or later gave chances for them to tease him ("O'chibi just wants Ryuuzaki-chan to sit there, nya!").

"Ah! An, why'd you call? I'm busy right now if you're asking for a date." Momoshiro chuckled at his remark, only for Ryoma to roll his eyes in bother.

"_Shut up, Takeshi. Is Echizen with you?"_ Ann's irritated voice from the other line told him that the maiden wanted some serious talk.

"Aa. We're off to find some tux for his wedding." Momoshiro answered while scratched the back of his neck.

"_Okay. We'll be off to Yukimura-san's boutique then Atobe-san's flower shop. Tell Echizen to drop by Sakuno's house by 5 p.m. Bye."_ An hung up.

"We better hurry, Echizen. Your fiancée wants to meet up with you by five and it's already eleven." Momoshiro slapped his hand with Eiji's amid the smug grins plastered on their faces.

Ryoma paid them no heed, not minding their continuous jingles about how _youthful_ he was. Yet he sped off towards the boutique, not wanting to spend more time with those two.

* * *

"The gown fits you well, Ryuuzaki-chan." Yukimura Seiichi complimented her as she stepped out of the dressing platform with complete accessories.

"Woah! You look like a goddess, Sakuno!" Tomoka gave her two thumbs up; a smile of satisfaction was lingering on her features.

Sakuno twirled once again, the feel of the silky dress flowed within every curve of her body. A gentle smile graced on her face as her cheeks turned rosy for the reason of Tomoka's remark. Thoughts of herself walking towards the altar flooded her mind as the blurry image of Ryoma stood right in front of her. She couldn't comprehend on how her husband-to-be might look like on his wedding attire, yet she does knew that it would be something to gawk at.

"Yukimura-san, how did you prepare the gown according to Sakuno's size, anyway? It fitted her perfectly." An questioned the shop's owner yet her eyes were still transfixed at Sakuno's direction.

"Ryuuzaki-baa-san informed me about the wedding a few weeks ago and I got Ryuuzaki-chan's measurements through Renji's data." Yukimura gazed at the lass as well, totally pleased with the content expression on her face.

An only nodded in understanding as she eyed the maiden who was enclosed within the gown's fabrics. She was somewhat at ease, now that Sakuno quite admitted that her love for the tennis prodigy never died down to begin with, even though she hadn't confirmed it by herself yet. An perfectly understood that by how the bride-to-be looked at her dress swallowed her denials about her attachments she had with the feline-eyed gamin and it made An satisfied that Sakuno could undergo such positive changes. Her thoughts were then broken as Sakuno smiled at her in her full potential. And Ann beamed at her as well.

"We'll get this one, Yukimura. Send it by Thursday morning." Sumire finalized the deal for the wedding gown as they all waited for Sakuno to change back to her casual clothes.

"Understood. The bill would be sent with it." Yukimura gently smiled.

"Thank you, Yukimura-san. Good bye." Sakuno bowed and waved farewell as she followed her grandmother and friends outside.

* * *

"Wow! Tooyama-chan sure turned big time, nya!" Eiji scanned the different suits and tuxedos displayed on the mannequins.

Ryoma scrutinized the said boutique as well, not wanting to believe that his childish rival in tennis would be this successful in such a short time span. It was true that they hadn't met for a decade and the only source of information he had regarding Kintarou was from Tennis Pro, the radio or the television. And anything outside tennis was not included in his data book about him. It did surprise him a bit when Inui said that the bubbly twenty-three year old did own a boutique of bachelor's clothing, yet to visit the store itself was a different story.

"Oi, Echizen! You should go fit this! White is good!" Momo grabbed a random suit out of nowhere and immediately offered it to Ryoma.

"Fusshh. Don't let him wear white, aho." Kaidoh spat back in a loud whisper.

"Why? White is the traditional color in weddings, stupid! And, I'm not talking to you, Ma-mu-shi. Don't go judging just because you aren't married yet!" Momo smirked in triumph as he saw the fuming state Kaidoh was in.

"You bastard—!" Kaidoh hissed in anger.

"Cut it out, it's embarrassing!" Oishi stepped in between them, hoping that the twenty-four year olds would quit their nonsense fight.

Ryoma approached a holder far away from the others, not wanting to get involved with their stupid bickering. He then looked for a suit that would fit him best for his wedding ceremony. Asking his senpais' opinions would rivet too much risks and he wouldn't want to create a rift on his growing reputation.

"Whatcha lookin' for, Koshimae?" A distinct voice caught Ryoma's attention.

Ryoma jerked his head from the clothes rack and saw a pair of curious grey eyes together with crimson tousled hair. The grin dangling on the stranger's lips brought the familiar feeling of displeasure which eventually resulted for him to greet him with a grimace.

"Tooyama." Ryoma bore his eyes deep within his, acknowledging the presence of the once alleged "friend" of his.

"Oh! You still remember me, Koshimae! C'mon, don't be shy! Just pick what you like. And, oh! The fitting room's by the corner on the far left of the store." Kintarou pointed it out for him.

"Aa." Ryoma responded his thanks and tried not to show the irritated look he had on his face.

It had been quite a while since they had seen each other yet the fact that Kintarou's loud, booming voice never did fade. They had been good friends to begin with, but it seemed that Ryoma couldn't tolerate such tones since he literally broke his ear drums off just by being near to the likes of him (examples are Osakada-now-Shijo-Tomoka and Horio Satoshi).

Kintarou just watched him in silence as the tennis prince decided on what he should try on. It really was a stun on Ryoma's behalf the time that he had noticed the unfamiliar quietude between the both of them. He didn't seem to mind though, and he savored the wild lad's peaceful presence as he checked on the price range of each suit that preferred his sense of fashion.

"You're getting married, right? I heard from Inui-san." Ryoma faced his direction as the collected tone of the red-haired man reached his ears.

"Hn." Ryoma monotonously answered his question, still keeping his gaze intact with the lad by the clothes stand.

Kintarou pouted underneath his arms and hid a third of his face with the help of his long locks yet Ryoma seemed unfazed about his behavior and continued to pick his best choices. He didn't pay any interest on Kintarou's sulking form and headed straight towards the route of the dressing room he once dictated. Yet as he passed by the young man's side, a hand caught up to his sleeve.

"It's Sakuno-chan, ne?" Kintarou's voice grew weaker by the moment as Ryoma gawked at the hand on his right arm.

Kintarou then stood up straight and released his grip on Ryoma. Without warning, he wrapped his left arm on Ryoma's broad shoulder and walked side-by-side with the glaring customer towards the fitting room. Kintarou blabbed continuous nonsense about his life, his career, and everything related to perk Ryoma's interest. Ryoma smirked knowingly and accepted his attempts on a conversation and decided himself that he would retort occasionally. As they reached the dressing room, Kintarou even managed to bleed his nose as Ryoma slammed the cubicle door right in front of his face since he rambled so much while talking.

"Ow, ow! That hurt, Koshimae!" Kintarou rubbed his bleeding nose while his back faced the door that separated the two of them. He silently faced the mirror in front of him and waited for the next thing to happen.

Ryoma changed his garments, not minding the hushed figure on the other side of the room. He knew that the lad harbored feelings for Sakuno, since they do meet once in a while. Ryoma positively wasn't dense enough to not sense the delight on Kintarou's voice as he rattled on about his meetings with the woman Ryoma was about to wed, either accidental of intentional, and provided him a lot good impressions on the maiden. Ryoma then fixed his coat and slacks with the same stoic expression on his countenance.

Ryoma unlocked the door and gazed at his reflection with Kintarou on the side and bestowed him his trademark smirk. As a reply, Kintarou smiled in full glory and ruffled Ryoma's hair hard enough to make the lad flinch in exasperation. Ryoma shoved his hand away and raked his own tresses to its original arrangement as the smirk remained intact on his handsome features, yet his smirk was cut off by Kintarou's solemn yet muffled voice.

"Take care of her, Echizen." Ryoma knew that Kintarou was being serious, since he never did once call his correct name until now. "And if you don't, or you _can't_, it will be a pleasure to take your place." Kintarou was grinning until he saw Ryoma glared at him with his _san paku gan._He patted the groom's shoulder. "Kiddin'! Now, chill, okay?" But, Ryoma, being him, remained his silence unbroken.

"Best wishes, Koshimae!" Kintarou showed him the back of his palm as he paced towards a new customer, leaving the lad with his senpais.

The others told him that the black tuxedo he chose provided him the image of a rich bastard and he took that statement as a compliment. He decided that this would be fair enough for the wedding and abruptly paid for it at the counter. With a final glance on the front window of the boutique, he smirked once again, and then headed off towards his car.

* * *

Sakuno kept herself busy right after they arrived home. Talking with "Ore-sama" only brought headaches for all of them, yet the whiff of flora on his grand flower shop did soothe the throbbing pain they felt whenever Atobe Keigo addressed himself in such an egotistical manner. Sakuno continued to pick people in which she would prefer to be her bridesmaids and listed them in a piece of paper. She couldn't contain herself about this matter any longer, and the bottled excitement about the upcoming ceremony seemed to have swallowed every disagreement up she felt before. With a sip from her coffee, she proceeded with her task as she waited for what else they had to do.

An stood by the front door with her phone flipped open. She became impatient for a while now, since her fiancé and Ryoma weren't there on the Ryuuzaki household yet. It had been thirty minutes past five and she couldn't contain herself any longer. Tapping her feet on the wooden floor, she settled on the option of giving Momoshiro a nice yell on the phone.

"That lazy ass—" She stopped dialing as the door burst open.

"Sorry, we're late." Momoshiro's pants were evidence that they were truly in a hurry to be on the house on time.

An sighed in defeat and asked them to hastily remove their shoes by the shoe rack. Following her inside, the former Seigaku regulars greeted their former coach and saw that the girls were really busy about the wedding preparations.

Sakuno raised her head from the list she made as soon as she heard Tezuka's impassive greeting. Not realizing that she was staring too long, Eiji shoved Ryoma towards her position only for him to squeeze his way through Sakuno's lap. Ryoma quickly acquired his balance and sat straight as his golden orbs pierced through Eiji's shivering flesh.

Not having any choice, Ryoma posed his elbow on the table and saddled his head on his palm. He wasn't really paying attention to the chants of youthfulness by Momoshiro and Eiji yet to the refined expression of the woman beside her. They didn't converse after the announcement was made and it wasn't his attitude to strike up an exchange. Ryoma chose to close his eyes and not mind the others, but was then distracted when someone poked him on his right shoulder.

"Ryoma-kun, I need the list." Sakuno pointed out on the paper underneath his elbow. It was kind of odd to find herself, after all those years, calling the lad "Ryoma-kun" once again. But, it couldn't be helped right this moment.

Ryoma gradually jerked his elbow from the table and handed her the piece of paper she wanted. Sakuno just gazed at him and shook her head with a slight smile, which caught him, off-guard.

"S-Sorry. I'm done with mine. You just need to list yours." Sakuno set her finger on the 'groomsmen' page and tried to give him another smile.

Ryoma felt weird the moment she smiled at him. It had been years since she did that and it did faze him a little. The feel of uncertainty and the air of awkwardness they once had during the past days were starting to crack open and it seemed like Sakuno didn't avoid him any longer. Yet, Ryoma chose to not take any chances and decided to see for himself if this was just brought up by some influence on her part.

Sakuno couldn't understand why, yet she felt that it had been a lot easier for her to cope up with him now. The sudden approach she carried out didn't contain an ounce of pain, and in the end, it made her believe that they could be wedded in such a manner wherein the concept of the arranged marriage would be off. She wanted to deny her blossoming feelings for the man he was to marry once again, yet the joyous emotions didn't seem to falter a tiny bit. Deciding for now, she would suppress her sentiments and try to avoid the growing stir of events happening on her head.

"Here." Ryoma broke her from her trance as he handed the list back to her.

Sakuno nodded as she held onto the list. Ryoma eyed her in curiosity and scanned a few invitation samples laid on the table. The silky blue color of the envelope near him perked his interest and he decided to scrutinize it even further. It was nice, with the embossed silver letters on the front side of the card. Silver was his favorite color after all, and the sensation brought by it with a simple touch made him feel serene.

"You like that, Ryoma-sama?" Tomoka asked him in a frantic manner.

"Hn." Ryoma answered as he flicked the card.

"Then it's settled. Sakuno, this card is what you chose as well, right?" Tomoka tried her best not to squeal as Sakuno's head nodded in agreement.

"You should finish your plans. Talk about your bridesmaids and groomsmen, we'll all be waiting by the kitchen!" Tomoka proceeded to the kitchen as the others followed her with haughty grins on their features.

"Osakada's your Maid of Honor?" Ryoma raised his eyebrow, even if he knew that those two were inseparable.

"Why, yes. And it's Shijo, not Osakada." She answered confidently. "Oh, seemed that you chose Ryoga-san to be your Best Man. Why him, anyway?" Sakuno retorted with tinge of sarcasm and delivered them without a single sweat.

"I was forced." Ryoma observed her reaction, only to receive a curious glance from his soon wife.

"Forced?" Sakuno replied disbelievingly.

"Yeah, _forced."_

And as Ryoma raised his eyebrows as well, Sakuno burst into a fit of giggles. The tennis prince didn't find his statement too funny and decided to glare at the lass instead. The ambiance between them did change now, as if they were back in middle school and were happy for winning another tennis match. The picture they now portray brought back the joyful days they once had, and the carefree life they once cherished. It felt great for him to act like this, to be all cocky and arrogant in front of Sakuno, now that she wasn't cautious of his presence any more.

Sakuno couldn't help herself. Even though she continually deprived her own sentiments toward the feline-eyed man, she still couldn't help herself. She knew that he was the man who shattered her heart, that he was the man who tore her world apart, and that he was the man who didn't love her back. Yet, amongst all of those things she knew about him, she couldn't help herself. She couldn't help to gaze at his handsome face, to smile at his remarks, to blush whenever he smirks, to stutter as her body stumbles against his, and to love him all the time. She knew that it would be a detriment if she would love again, yet she couldn't help herself.

Unbeknownst to Ryoma, a tiny smile was present on his lips as he sat there next to her. The feeling was foreign to him, even though he recognized that he was happy in a way. However, the happiness he felt wasn't like those before and it stirred his curiosity since he grew fond of the feeling, yearning for more. He somehow managed to push it aside for now by trying to focus on the ceremonial preparations they both had to make.

"It's a good thing that your camera doesn't have a flash, Fuji." Oishi beamed at the picture taken by Fuji.

"The picture is good! We need to put this in a humungous frame!" Tomoka shrieked in excitement.

Fuji only showed them another one of his mysterious smiles and noiselessly glanced at the young couple. It was a good sign now that they were starting to accept each other's company, especially on Sakuno's part. He was one of the few people who knew about the cold rejection she obtained from the cocky lad and he wanted for them to feel right about the engagement. Nevertheless, Fuji maintained the smile of his as others gathered with him to watch the scene unfolding before them.

**TBC.**

(1) Well, you might be wondering why choose a wedding minister to perform a 'white wedding' (chapel wedding) in a country not having a Christian religion. **Western-style wedding ceremonies** or 'white weddings' are currently very popular in Japan. These ceremonies are modeled on a traditional or stereotypical chapel wedding. But the Couples choose it not for any religious reason, but rather as a fashion statement. (Reference: Wikipedia dot org—Article: Western-style wedding in Japan)


	8. The Making II

**VIII.**_The Echizen-Ryuuzaki Nuptials: The Making Part II_

It had been a hectic Monday for Sakuno. Aside from worrying about her wedding, she completely forgot about her students' lesson plans. To provide lessons in an unorganized way was too much for her to handle, yet she tried her best to manage out of the trouble.

There were also times during classes wherein her phone would ring, only to be asked unreasonable questions about the ceremonial preparations courtesy of Momo and Eiji. It was hard to get them off her feet since Ryoma was having his own activities and she didn't want him to be bothered just by her own selfish reasons. And though turning her phone off during class hours was an option, still, she would not want to miss any single detail, since it was her wedding to begin with.

It was hard at first, since she doubled her efforts to finalize each and every little thing she has to do for today. It didn't help that her pupils weren't dense enough to not notice any peculiarity she had while discussion. It was a good thing that the others hadn't bothered to ask, yet her advisory class seemed to not get the point that she didn't need any of their concern. She was drowned by question after question, even to the point that her ever-nosy student, Yuri, thought that she was pregnant—which made them all silent.

"N-No, I'm not preg—"Sakuno tried her best to explain, yet a student of hers squealed beyond hearing range.

"Kya! Sensei, you're handsome prince's here again! And look! He brought a Porsche!" Yuri shrieked with all her might, enough to gather murmurs from the others as well.

Sakuno mentally sighed as her students gossiped about her so-called boyfriend. She already knew that they were pertaining to Ryoma, since he had been the only guy they pointed out as her beloved. She then took her leave, as the love struck thirteen-year old girls bid their farewell to their teacher. Tsukiyo smirked on his chair, not minding the continuous sighs and gasps from his fellow classmates.

"Oh! Sakuno-chan! Here!" Nanjirou wailed on the top of his lungs as he spotted the auburn-haired teacher.

"E-Echizen-san? Oh, R-Ryoma-kun? Why are you here?" Sakuno bowed her head in recognition as she waited for her query to be answered.

"Oh! Ryuuzaki-chan! We need to go, nya!" Eiji's bubbly voice was heard from the car and Ryoma pushed his father to the back seat.

She was about to open the door of the back seat when someone stopped her from behind.

"You're riding on the front." Ryoma demanded as he faced Sakuno with an impassive stare.

"Yosh! Let's go, nya!" Eiji exclaimed, at the same time placed a conceited smile on his features.

* * *

It would have been a silent ride if there were just the two of them. Yet because of Eiji's rants about getting faster and Nanjirou's failed attempts on flirting with Sakuno, the journey towards Marui Bunta's bakery had been loud. Ryoma glared from time to time, swerving here and there only to get out of his father's grasp.

They came to a halt in front of a cake shop with a whiff of sweet icing and dough lingering in the air. The shop was not that big, yet the appetizing aroma caught them dead hungry.

"Marui!" Eiji signaled the other three to follow him inside the kitchen.

"Oh! Kikumaru! And you brought the Echizen couple with you! The cake's about done, only to icing left. We could finish it within three days." Marui licked his thumb, a grin of guarantee flickered on his features.

"You wanna see it? I've been doing it for weeks." Marui pointed out to the couple.

They both agreed to have a look and proceeded to another room inside the bakery. Even though the café on the outside wasn't that large, the place they went into sure had a lot of space to occupy. Marui then pointed a white cake decorated by other bakers on the far left which left the couple gazing.

"Thanks to Nanjirou-san's notification, I got to make the cake as it is. We aren't done yet, but we'll make sure that it would be a thing to gawk at." Marui winked at them as he smacked his hands with Eiji's.

Being a bridesmaid did take a lot of her time. Tomoka had to wake up as early as five a.m. on a Tuesday morning in order to make sure that she mailed all of the invitations. She was also the one who was assigned to contact Shiba for photos and to make sure that Horio Satoshi, the loud one (like her), would be fine with playing the wedding march (he still hadn't recovered yet from Tomoka's wedding, believe it or not). All groggy and beaten up, she decided to seek the young tensai's help and arranged a meeting for the two of them.

"Let's see…" Fuji sipped on his coffee, not minding to be in a hurry. "What else do you need to do?"

"Shiba-san hadn't answered my messages yet about her being the photographer, but I guess she would agree since this is Echizen Ryoma's wedding." Tomoka hysterically flipped on her list as Fuji watched her, amused.

"I can back her up. Yet, I won't promise to not keep secret close-up photographs of Sakuno-chan." She let out a forceful smile at the sadistic genius in front of her, receiving another grin as a reply.

"That Horio doesn't want to pick up the phone whenever I tried to call him. I don't even know if he received the invitation." Tomoka flipped her phone as she checked for any response from the stubborn man.

"I'll call." Fuji then dialed Horio's number.

Horio picked up as soon as it rang. "_Hello? Fuji-san?"_

"Did you receive the invitation regarding Echizen's wedding?" Fuji inquired.

"_Yes. Oh! And I will come!"_ Horio's loud voice boomed on the phone's speaker.

"Then, can you play the wedding march? I heard that you were quite good." Fuji's smile broadened.

"_Why, of course! With my two years of piano experience I will certain—Fuji-san? Ne, ne, Fuji-san?"_ And before he could even brag about his two-year experiences, Fuji hung up.

Tomoka bowed her thanks towards the barbaric young man. Now, she wouldn't be in such paranoia.

* * *

An was fuming. She called Momoshiro an hour ago to meet her at the reception area, yet he hadn't been exposing himself. If it wasn't that important, she wouldn't be in the verge of aggravation as she tapped her foot loudly on the wooden floor. Having known better, Momo might still be stuck on his bed, even though it was already ten o'clock in the morning. It was a nice Wednesday, after all.

"Sorry, I'm late! I lost my—okay, I'll shut up." Momo zipped his mouth shut, traumatized by the insanity present on his fiancée's eyes.

An dragged him on a table, trying to calm herself since the chef who would prepare the dinner on the celebration was known by the both of them. She spat words about their motive towards a waitress in a venomous way, leaving the poor girl shaken up and Momo slumped on his chair.

"An-chan, Momo, did Echizen and Ryuuzaki-chan sent you?" Kawamura Takashi noticed the dark aura surrounding the pair and decided to lighten the ambiance a little bit.

"We're here for the taste check." An loosened up a bit, trying to persuade herself that her boyfriend didn't deserve to be killed.

"Okay. Just wait for a bit." The young chef then proceeded back to the kitchen.

"Taka-san's sushi business flourished big time." Momo surveyed the surroundings, since the restaurant was floating on water.

An scanned her surroundings as well, not having the time to do it earlier because of her anger. It was a nice place for a reception, the fresh breeze provided by the sea, together with the salted scent. The Echizen couple firmly agreed that Takashi's thriving Japanese-water restaurant would be a great reception area since they both loved Japanese food.

"Sorry. I, uhm, I overslept." Momo decided not to make up stupid lies.

"It's fine." The fresh air from the ocean gave peace to both of them as they sat still together.

Kawamura soon provided them a plateful of what Sumire ordered for the guests' dinner and the two of them indulged themselves. Ann also apologized to the poor lass who deliberately shivered throughout the whole time they were there, and in return, she gave her a smile. They told appointed chef that the dinner tasted great and that they would expect it to be that delicious.

* * *

Sakuno didn't know how it happened, yet her advisory students started giving her a bunch of "Congratulations!" and "Best Wishes!" as she entered the classroom the next day. She asked them what was going on and the girls immediately answered that they knew about her wedding with her so-called boyfriend. And when she inquired them how they knew, they just giggled and said that it was a secret.

She had been free for quite a while now, since Tomoka and Ann insisted on the other arrangements for the wedding. She even got her timetable intact since most of the calls she had been receiving were lessening, all thanks to the repetitive warnings from her friends.

"Ryuuzaki-sensei, when's your wedding? I heard that it will be on—" Jinta's rambling was broken by another piercing scream, courtesy of Yuri.

"H-He's here! The handsome groom!" Sakuno shook her head for the umpteenth time.

"She can't let her mouth shut, can she?" Jinta complimented.

Yuri stuck out her tongue, seemingly annoyed with the young lad's comment. "Hah, well you're just jealous, Jinta."

"Oh, yeah?"

The two bickered on and on, as their other classmates focused on the door (except for Tsukiyo, who was currently sleeping). It somewhat reminded her of Tomoka and Horio during their middle school days. With a smile, she tried to fix her belongings, only to be halted midway.

"Ryuu—Sakuno." Ryoma took a deep breath.

"Let's go." He raked his way through the hoard of thirteen year olds, trying to act all cool right after calling her by her first name.

Sakuno couldn't believe her ears. His low, deep voice rang through her mind as the echo of how her name was spoken so smoothly flowed through her veins. She only sat there, watching, as her pupils bombarded the young man with questions he didn't want to answer.

Ryoma felt like he was situated on one of the bleachers at a tennis arena as people crowded in order to congratulate him, yet as of now the congratulations he was hearing meant that of his wedding. He felt how hyped the lads and lasses were and gave them one of his trademark smirks.

Sakuno broke off her trance as the room became quiet for a second, and then erupted in a fissure of 'Kya's!'. Ryoma winced at the noise and Sakuno mentally giggled at his reaction. She knew that it would be too much for Ryoma to let him there any longer for she knew that he couldn't tolerate such high-range pitched screams. And so, she decided to call it a day and bid goodbye.

Tsukiyo closed his locker as a whiz of auburn and mossy hair passed by the corridor. He carried his bag outside, knowing well who those people might be. Yet when he considered walking out of the school building, Jinta's arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"You okay with that? I know that you got the hots for Ryuuzaki-sensei." Jinta grinned as his eyes flickered sadistically.

"Hn." Tsukiyo pushed his classmate's limb away and walked towards the exit.

* * *

"It's only the two of us?" Sakuno hysterically asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryoma hopped into his car and waited for Sakuno to do so, too.

Sakuno glared at his physique as she entered the Porsche as well. His sudden cocky attitude did irritate her a little, yet it felt like their relationship wasn't fractured at all. Glancing at him throughout the ride left her wondering about the way she felt about him, yet her thoughts were broken as they halted in front of a jewelry store.

"This is Banji-jii-san's store. W-What are we—eh!" Ryoma grasped her wrist without warning that made the astounded maiden more surprised.

"You talk too much." Ryoma sneered as Sakuno's cheeks flamed beet red because of the lad's brash compliment.

"W-Why I—" Sakuno bowed her head low, embarrassed from head to toe.

Ryoma slipped his hand from her wrist and intertwined his fingers with hers. It felt nice to touch such warm, soft hands with his cold, calloused ones. However, he brought up his poker-faced façade and triumphantly smirked inside with the reaction Sakuno was granting him. She looked defenseless and it made him feel dominant.

"Ah… Sumire told me that you would come. Here are the rings." Banji brought up a large velvet box and smiled at the young couple.

"Oh." Sakuno forgot about their interlaced hands and dragged Ryoma towards the container. Ryoma couldn't care less and settled on being hauled by the lass.

Rings of gold and silver shimmered as her eyes craved for their touch. Sakuno stood mesmerized by their finely-crafted beauty and gazed at every little detail her orbs could find. Ryoma watched the pairs as well, completely forgotten that his hand was still intact against his companion.

"What color do you prefer?" Banji asked from the other side of the counter.

"Silver." They both answered at once, and gazed at each other right after.

Banji chuckled as the couple finally realized their entwined hands and released as if they were burnt by flames. Sakuno mentally scolded herself for acting like a lovesick middle-school girl like before and just focused her interest on the rings, hoping to lessen the awkwardness she was feeling. Ryoma did the same thing as his hand squeezed shut underneath his coat.

Sakuno nudged the lad beside her while her eyes continued to gaze at a pair she became fond of. Ryoma brought his eyes towards it as well and arched his lips upward once the simple design was etched on his mind.

"Banji-jii-san—" Sakuno was about to ask Banji about the pair, yet Ryoma took the smaller piece and held on her left hand. "E-Eh? R-Ryoma-kun?"

The prince eyed the ring situated between his thumb and index finger. He then placed Sakuno's hand atop of his without any mind and slipped the ring on her ring finger.

"It fits." Ryoma coolly dictated.

"W-Well, isn't it obvious?" Sakuno followed it by a retort originally done by the lad.

Sakuno took the other ring and held on his hand as well. It felt serene now; that the turmoil of emotions was consequently vanishing, yet what was left remained to be a mystery for her. Slipping it on his ring finger and seeing how it fitted well, she managed to choke out a smile.

"I-It looks good." Ryoma didn't mind how the ring appeared within his finger even though Sakuno complimented on it. He just gazed at her flustered face and arrogantly sneered, something that he became fond of doing lately.

The couple then said that they would take it and had the old man wrapped it in a tiny, white case. Ryoma was the one who paid for it; since Sakuno didn't bring any money with her (she told him that he was the one who planned it on the first place). Yet the time they had spent together inside the jewelry store wasn't so futile after all, and it made the inexplicable feeling inside of her grew more yet remained undeterminable.

If Sakuno had known better, she would have discovered that she already loved him. If she hadn't denied such feelings for a long time, it would be visible that she cared for him. Yet her continuous contradiction and isolation brought up none of these conclusions. And it was yet to come for her to fully understand. The same goes for the young man beside her.

* * *

The early birds chirping on a lovely Friday morning awaken the auburn-haired maiden. It was still six-thirty in the morning, yet she didn't feel like returning to sleep. Not because she was anxious for today's lesson for her class, since she took a three-week leave from work. It was because she felt jitters running through her system for it would officially be her last day carrying the surname Ryuuzaki. And from tomorrow onwards, all things around her would definitely change. So, she decided to let all of her sentimentalities out before she faced a new chapter of her life.

She walked around her room, viewed all the things inside it. She did change. From the way she looked, starting from her hair that used to be longer and set in place with braids, through the things she had before, such as a tennis racket and few balls that were soon replaced by lesson plans and paper works.

She then stayed on her bed for a couple of minutes more, letting her petite body spread throughout the entire mattress. Soon enough, there would be someone lying down next to her and would wake up with her every morning for the rest of her existence. And to think it was a celebrity, namely _the_Echizen Ryoma. They hadn't been an official couple, and not even started dating. The wedding just came, the moment when she (and probably Ryoma) least expected it. At the thought, she started feeling all the tension coming and began swallowing her whole being.

"Sakuno?" But her grandmother came on time, just before she could possibly rip off her hair out of complete anxiousness.

She impulsively sat straight on her bed hearing her grandmother's voice calling her. "Y-Yes, obaa-chan?"

"Ready for the big day tomorrow?"

"A-ah…I don't know." She knew that the answer she gave could fire up the old woman's mouth with endless reasons just for her to continue to the said event. "I-I mean, y-yes! Why a-ask a question like that, obaa-chan?"

"That would be a no, wouldn't it?"

"O-Of course not, no…" she answered with a forged smile to take the older Ryuuzaki's worry aside. Though she was well aware that deep inside, her fears and nervousness could ingest her right then and there, and it was impossible for her to succeed telling a lie.

And undeniably, the older woman was knowledgeable what the soon-to-be bride was feeling. Of course, she did become a bride once, and underwent that her emotions some time ago went haywire. And thus, she tried to calm the maiden by letting her anxiousness subside for a while. She patted her granddaughter's back, and then motioned to come with her downstairs. "C'mon. Let's get you some breakfast."

"S-Sure."

They had finished eating, but still, Sakuno remained silent all throughout the meal. She couldn't really tell if she was just overjoyed. She took a crack of different ways to settle herself down, such as eating chocolates, as per Tomoka would suggest, watching television, so on and so forth. But, unfortunately, her endeavor all seemed to be in vain.

'_Why am I feeling so nervous?'_Sakuno mentally debated. _'It is as if my efforts of fixing myself were no good. That's surely ridiculous. And, marrying Ryoma-kun…marrying him will…'_

"Sakuno?"

"O-Obaa-chan! You seemed to be scarring me all the time."

"Of course not. You're a lot scarier." Then her grandma chuckled at her own statement.

"Mou, obaa-chan…I'm not." It earned confusion to the lass next to her, but she didn't really mind. She knew her granddaughter every step of the way since birth.

Sumire then all of the sudden enclosed Sakuno with a hug and caressed the maiden's back. "I know that you can do this, Sakuno. You can."

After the two Ryuuzaki poured out every mawkish emotion each one had, Sakuno chose to stay inside her room, on her bed for a while. She didn't know what happened, but after her grandmother hugged her, she felt that she was at ease, knowing there would be someone beside her no matter what.

She reflected herself some more, not wanting to waste her time doing practically nothing. And when she was midway, she was stopped to her senses seeing her grandma clinging on the door of her room.

"Sakuno, have your dress change." Sumire gave an assuring smile. "We're going somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Sakuno eyed her grandmother suspiciously.

However, disobeying orders, especially from her grandma, was never one of her options. So, she hurriedly geared up, and then went downstairs, only to see her best friend with the older woman, holding firm, cunning grins plastered on their faces.

"Oh, I'm not going. See you—"

"Right." Tomoka fluttered her lashes as she prevented her friend from going up.

"O-Obaa-chan? Where are we going?" Sakuno inquired as Sumire almost dragged her towards the car parked in front of their house.

"To practice your ceremony, of course."

"P-Practice?" Sakuno's eyes went wide. "What—"

Tomoka tried to pacify her best friend. "Don't be so tensed, Sakuno. It's not like you're going to die anytime soon." But, merely trying wouldn't really help.

"I will if you will not tell me what's—"

"No question asked." Tomoka put her index finger on Sakuno's lips. "Let's go!"

The ride from their house to where they would hold their practice took quite a while.

* * *

As they went inside, Sakuno saw a lot of her acquaintances from before. Her former upperclassmen, friends, and few relatives. After all, their wedding did do something good. And that was, to bond all of them once and for all.

Then, she spotted her husband-to-be, yawning as he slouched with one of the benches situated on the practice hall. She distantly watched him for some more, relieved with the fact that he wasn't aware of her presence yet, only to be caught by the ever-smiling tensai. She looked away though she was obviously caught in act.

"It's rude to stare, you know." Fuji said. "Most especially if he didn't know you were doing so."

"F-Fuji-san…I'm not…" Fuji chortled seeing the maiden winced at his statement. '_Life without suffering wouldn't be fun, would it?'_

"The wedding minister is out, so I'll be the one practicing the couple." A woman in mid-thirty's approached them. "Let's all start then shall we?"

In the absence of an adult to be in Sakuno's company throughout the processional, Fuji volunteered himself to be in the place temporarily. Ryoma was instructed to wait to the end of the aisle.

It consumed fifteen minutes of the time for Sakuno to reach the end. Thanks to her klutziness who never failed to trip her on the carpet or by her own, that they have to do the march all over again, much to Ryoma's annoyance. It wasn't for the maiden's clumsiness, but what ticked him a bit was the constant clinging of Fuji's arms to her fiancée's. He just didn't know why.

"Now, Ryoma-san…" continued the woman appointed to practice them. "When your bride and her companion reached where you are, you must bow to her company. And when the bow had been returned, take your bride's hand from whoever is with her, okay?" He simply nodded in understanding.

Then it went on and on for some time, and finally, they were on the vows.

"Read these for me, will you?" the woman asked giving both of them pieces of paper with words written on it.

"Hn…"

"Okay."

"Ryoma-san, you would say that first, followed by you, Sakuno-san." The lady pointed at the piece of paper. "Understood?"

"Understood." They answered in chorus.

"I, groom's name, take you—" they didn't know if they were to laugh at it or not.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, substitute your names in it, okay?" The couple nodded. "Let's do it again."

"I, Echizen Ryo—" he was stopped by the unceasing whistles from his friends, namely Kikumaru Eiji and Momoshiro Takeshi.

"Could all the audience _be quiet_?" The woman glared at the two.

"I am nya!" Eiji defended. "Momo-chin here is the one noisy."

"Eiji, don't lie, 'ya know." Momoshiro glowered at the bouncing young man.

And they were like this for about an hour or so.

"I-I, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, take you, Echizen R-Ryoma-_kun _to be…"

"Sakuno-san, you must not put honorifics within the vow." A tinge of annoyance was present on her voice. "And besides, he will be your husband right? No need for formalities…"

You couldn't blame Sakuno, really, for she had been used to the attached honorific in Ryoma's name for years.

"Oh. I-I'm sorry…" Sakuno lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Let's try that, again."

And again…

And again…

They decided to call it a day after the exhausting change of vows of the couple. Sakuno decided to remain at the place, feeling that she needed a bit more practice. The session turned out to be a disaster since even the woman who administered it was down-right weary. Realizing that she was the only person left, Sakuno proceeded back to the entrance, ready to practice her entrance.

"Look straight into the altar." Sakuno breathed deep. "Picture Ryoma-kun at the en—"

"Practicing without me?" A manly voice came behind her, causing the lass to glance back.

"Ryoma-kun?" Sakuno stared at the smirking lad, confused. "I thought you already left."

"Hn." Ryoma walked to the altar. "Let's get on with the vows. We can't practice the entrance without _him._" Ryoma felt venom as he said that.

"I-I need to do it." Sakuno felt confident as the lad halted on his steps. "I-I still can't get it right."

"Tch." Ryoma muttered under his breath. "Fine."

The same routine happened again. It was really impossible to perfect their lines to begin with, since they both felt jittery with each other's presence (that was most applied on Sakuno's part). Yet as they progressed on with strive of determination to not make a fool out of themselves during their wedding (Ryoma's reason for practicing), they made halfway through and were already on the vows without them noticing.

"Remember the hag's pointers?" Ryoma nonchalantly said, only to earn a glare from the woman beside him.

"O-Of course, I do." Sakuno sighed. "It's your turn first."

"Hn." Ryoma turned to face Sakuno as he held her hand tight. "I, Echizen Ryoma, take you, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness." Ryoma ended it with a tiny smile on his lips and a nod, signaling the red-faced lass to start with hers.

Sakuno took a large intake of air and muttered her part. "I, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, take you, Echizen Ryoma, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness." They then both took each other's hand alternately and pretended to slip a ring on their partner's finger. The silence lingered on as they went on with the ceremony, until they reached its end part.

The couple knew pretty well that they have to kiss each other fully on the lips to seal their marriage. Sakuno turned beet red once again upon realization that they had landed on that portion of the ceremony and was about to faint due to the thought of it.

Ryoma noticed the nervous glances Sakuno was providing his lips and then knew that she was thinking about the same thing. A smirk dangled on his face as the lass fidgeted within his grasp and thought that it would be better to speak up about the matter rather than to carry her limp frame to the hospital after a kiss.

"We can do the kiss on the wedding." Ryoma's cocky voice broke her trance.

"R-Right." Sakuno answered as she released a breath she never knew that she was holding.

**TBC.**


	9. Off To Something New

"_**A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,**_

_**always with the same person…"**_

_**-Mignon McLaughlin**_

**IX. **_Off to Something New_

Sakuno was nervous. Ah, no…scratch that. She was _more than_ nervous. So nervous she sincerely wished for the high jacked plane that blew off the Twin Towers to hit her right then and there.

'_Sakuno! Pull yourself together will you?'_She shouted to herself mentally, wanting to bump her head with something hard.

She was never this uneasy before, or rather, it was this time when she felt that icky, unnerving surge of emotion again which came rushing through her system just like it always was years ago. She actually thought she had forgotten all those sensations. Right the moment when she promised to herself never to get in touch with the 'Echizen Ryoma', the tennis prodigy himself, along with anything related to him. But she was hell wrong.

How could she do that if she was about to marry the prince?

'_Easy now…'_She tried to appease herself, as she attempted to cease several thoughts of the lad by breathing loudly like that of a woman expecting her first child, but only to have her tenseness intensified as the time passed.

She was stopped to her senses when slowly; she spun around only to see the reflection of herself on the life-sized mirror inside her room.

'_So this is what a lady looks like when she's about to get married…'_Mixed emotions filled her upon seeing how she looked.

Never did Sakuno expect what she was wearing right at that moment, even bet her entire career on the way.

The clothes she never anticipated to put on, a _wedding dress _to be precise.

Examining her features, she was more than flabbergasted to see how it fits her, more than when she first wore the gown at the store where they bought it. The dress was slightly off to her shoulders, and was made wholly of pure glossy silk—satin. It had touches of blue with it, particularly in the middle front and ends of the dress, but was covered mostly in pure ivory. It was kept in place by the intertwined white straps which extended until the back of her waist and was accented with beads and sequins that were artistically designed all throughout. Truly simple yet absolutely elegant that made her appearance more stunning than before. She must admit that she liked how the dress suited her petite built. How the dress matched with her complexion and all that.

It was, after all, Yukimura Seiichi's arty masterpiece.

She heaved a loud moan, as she thought that this occurrence was unstoppable.

'_I guess this can't be helped.' _Sakuno then continued to give herself some last-minute lectures.

'_Ryuuzaki Sakuno, You should be ready for anything…'_But her trail of thoughts left frozen as she heard someone knocking at the door.

"Come in." she said, not minding whoever was behind it.

"Kya! Sakuno!" There she was, Sakuno's dearest (and probably the loudest, take note) friend, Tomoka, who came rustling as she approached the bride. Tomoka almost stumbled as she saw her best friend wearing the dress she badly wanted to see the lass wear.

"T-Tomo—"

"Man! You look extremely beautiful! I have one word for you, _Fabulous. _Really. Opps! That's two isn't it?" Sakuno remembered all of a sudden that Tomoka was her Maid of Honor. How could she forget? Tomoka had been there the entire time she had her so-called 'puppy love' to Ryoma. She then plastered an edgy smile, for her not to make her best friend worry more. This should be a blissful day for all of them. Or, at least she thought so.

"You know what?—" Sakuno chuckled slightly, at the sight of her friend's never-ending rambles. She was really used to it, though.

'_Oh boy, here we go again…' _But it was, to say the least, too much for her to handle.

"This is the moment, Sakuno!" Tomoka squealed as she stared in amusement to the maiden in front of her. "What did I tell you about 'happy ever after' eh?"

"You never told me anything about that." Sakuno couldn't believe her best friend's sudden sentimentality.

"I didn't?" Tomoka held her forehead in frustration. She suddenly lightened her expression, held both Sakuno's hands, and looked straight into Sakuno's chocolate orbs, whose colors were just like hers.

"Heh, but seriously, all that's in my mind right now are craps like that. Well, you can't blame me, because after all, I'm still your best pal, whose goal is to make your _miserable_ life come back to its normal—"

Tomoka stood still and was stopped when tears started to form in her eyes. Yes, the never-serious Tomoka was now shedding her tears, and the words 'unpredictable' and such could put her to shame. But because, as she said, all she ever wanted was to see her friend happy. And so at once, she wiped her tears as the thought crossed her that she might ruin her make up and her best friend's, knowing Sakuno for such a long time, that the maiden could be persuaded easily in crying even by just merely watching drama scenes from the television.

"Forgive me for my silliness, though." Tomoka tucked her handkerchief back. "Kya! I can't wait hardly to see you walk down the aisle!"

"Mou…Tomo-chan…"

"What? Aren't you excited? It is, after all, _Ryoma-sama_ we're talking about." Yeah, Tomoka was officially back into her "Ryoma-sama" again just like she was used to before.

"Tomo-chan, can you please s-stop teasing me?" Sakuno flushed red as she heard herself stutter.

"I'm teasing you? What make's you say that?" Tomoka taunted even more. "Don't tell me you never liked _Ryoma-sama _before…" She winked and gave a chortle as she saw Sakuno's face to redden more the moment she put emphasis on Ryoma's name.

But before Sakuno could even protest on Tomoka's teasing, the older Ryuuzaki opened the door.

"Oi, Sakuno. It's time." Sumire paused as she saw her granddaughter. She couldn't hide her glee as for when she witnessed how beautiful Sakuno could be in that dress. "Ready?"

"I guess so." Sakuno hesitantly replied.

"Don't be like that, Sakuno!" Tomoka exclaimed patting her dear friend's back a bit hard.

"Ow!" Sakuno cried rubbing as to where Tomoka hit her a while ago. "That hurts!"

"Well, of course, it is! 'Cause this isn't a dream!" Tomoka smirked as the lass glared at her.

"Whatever, people." Sumire cut off the little bout of the two. "_We _should better get going right?"

* * *

Ryoma couldn't imagine on what was with him. There he was, standing right in front of the venue's entrance. It wasn't that he was tensed or anything of that sort. Or was he excited?

No, that would be highly unlikely.

The mere thought was absolutely out of his character. He would rather jump off from the peak of the Eifel Tower than to admit it even to himself.

"Oi,"

Well, he did recognize that voice from somewhere.

"…Chibisuke."

And then that hit him.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma nonchalantly greeted. He needed not to face the owner of the voice, for he knew exactly who _he_is.

"Is that the sane way to treat your older brother slash, quote and unquote your 'Best Man'?" Echizen Ryoga, maintaining his cool attitude, greeted back with taunt. "Of course, I'm here you chump! I'm your Best Man, remember? And oh, _you_ should be grateful rather than showing your ghastly arrogance to me. I am, after all—"

"Cut it out. It's irritating." Shoot. Ryoma just overlooked that his brother was at the same time his best man. But if he were to choose, he would pick either Momoshiro or Eiji instead, to think that those two were his closest friends. And he wouldn't let his brother ruin the day. Definitely not. Yet Ryoga would not want to give up the special part in the wedding. And after countless whining and harassing (God knows how 'wicked' this could be), the youngest Echizen was finally persuaded for his only-known sibling to take the spot.

"Cut it out, it's irritating, says 'Ryoma-sama'…Oh, please. You sounded more like a pregnant woman to me." Ryoma decided to remain his silence as his brother continued to mimic all he was saying.

"Oh, 'lil Ryoma here is nervous. Am I right or am I absolutely right?" Ryoga sure knew in the first place how to get his brother thoroughly irritated. "Man, that's why I'm here—to support you."

"Shut it." Ryoma ruffled his locks in agitation. "I neither need your opinion _nor_your support."

"Ho. Ho. Ho…well, well, well, I think it's the other way around, _boy_."

_Boy?_

"You're pushing it." Ryoma knew he shouldn't fall for his brother's ridicules. He wouldn't and he shouldn't. Saying that he was nervous was one thing, but calling him a derogatory remark such as 'boy' was another thing.

Sure, luck was with Ryoga that even before his brother flamed with anger, Eiji, one of Ryoma's groomsmen, announced that it was about time to start. Or else no one would know where he would end up to.

* * *

"_Good day our dear television viewers, this is Yamada Noriko reporting. Right this moment, we are directly in Keio Plaza Hotel Hachioji, Tokyo(1) to witness the most-awaited event of the season and will surely put mark on the 21st__century! The wedding ceremony of Japan's super rookie that made a debut of his career by winning numerous competitions here and overseas, Echizen Ryoma-sama! A profligate wedding—"_

"The media sure knows how to exaggerate things." Oshitari shut the flat-screened TV close after hearing the correspondent's overstated report.

"Che. No wonder Atobe's there." Shishido butted in.

"Atobe-san?" Chotarou asked blinking incessantly. They again opened the television and immediately spotted Atobe himself having an interview with the hyperbolic newsperson.

"_Atobe-san, how do you find the Echizen couple?"_asked the reporter acknowledging Atobe's part on the wedding's preparation.

And as prideful _and_ buoyant as he always was, Atobe responded with confidence that could blow the entire media off. _"I, Ore-sama, will have to say—"_

"And, Atobe knows how to exaggerate _himself._" Oshitari added his aforementioned statement, closing the television that the two didn't fight the urge to disagree.

* * *

Swarm of girls (specifically Ryoma's fan girls), paparazzi, and media people came rushing through as the bride's limo went in the hotel's entrance. Sakuno (who chose to dress at their house than in one of the hotel rooms), on the other hand, felt that butterflies suddenly came and invaded her entire tummy. And to her chagrin, it made her feel more anxious to see that all of the people inside were waiting for her arrival as she went out of the car.

"Now, this is your day, Sakuno!" Tomoka's roaring voice sounded like an upset alarm clock to the maiden that made her flinch a bit. "You will definitely make Ryoma-sama drool to death when he sees you!"

_Drool to death?_

Images of Ryoma literally drooling to death really made her want to laugh out voraciously. But sure, that image would be as impossible as it was when talking about pigs or worms flying.

"Tomo-chan—" but before Sakuno had the chance to speak, Tomoka buzzed in.

"A-a-ah! You might remember me saying this when you actually saw him _drool._"

"You're disgusting." Sakuno stated, followed by slight giggles from the two lasses.

"Sakuno, come here." Recovering from the _drooling_thing she and her best friend had earlier, Sakuno turned around only to find the older Ryuuzaki together with Echizen Nanjirou and Rinko, her future in-laws.

"Sakuno, dear, you're marvelous." Rinko complimented that made Sakuno's face tinted with a light pink blush.

"T-thank you, Rinko-san." was the young lady's polite yet timid response. "E-etou… y-you look good in your k-kimono, too!" Her compliment blended with her noticeable nerviness brought fit of giggles to the elder woman.

"Why thank you, dear." Rinko flashed a toothy grin. "And no, stop with the formalities, will you? Call me mom."

The word 'mom' slightly touched a delicate part on Sakuno's heart. It played repeatedly to her head that drove her insane. Practically for the reason that she never called someone 'mom' before, and that made her feel secured, and loved.

"Look, Rinko." Nanjirou butted on Sakuno's train of sentiments. "We don't have all day."

"I know, I know." Rinko faced her husband. "I'm just happy I'm sending Sakuno off to a wonderful journey."

"Wonderful journey eh? Not, if you're with Nanjirou." Sumire sneered that made Nanjirou furrow his brows.

"Sakuno-chan, don't mind you grandmother." Nanjirou, being him, would happily return the old hag's ridicule with another one. "Her irrationality must be because of her old age—ow!"

"There. That may be a help." Sumire uttered after knocking the old man on the head with her prepared newspaper, an improvised hitting instrument in case of emergencies. "This is not your wedding; it's your son's. This is not the right time to show your pettiness."

And as Nanjirou continued to mumble mental curses against the wrinkled woman, Sumire approached her granddaughter and enveloped the lass with a motherly hug.

"Take care, Sakuno." The older Ryuuzaki said, summing up all she had, with the three words expressed with utter love.

"Y-yes, obaa-chan." Sakuno didn't want this day to be full of soppiness, yet all the people around influenced her to do so. But, by all means, she tried not to shed her tears to prevent her from going back to her defenselessness.

After a minute or two of coping up, the time had finally arrived. Nanjirou offered his left arm signaling the maiden to cleave to it until they had reached the end of the aisle. "Shall we?"

"Oh, of course. Thank you—"

"Now, now, we're family. Call me dad." Nanjirou stated that left the young woman feel bits of slushiness.

Sakuno _actually_ thought that Ryoma's father started to have some decent, serious conversation with her. "Take care of my stupid son, Sakuno-chan."

But hearing the word 'stupid' made her think otherwise.

"I know he's cocky at times, ah, no…always. And only girls as civilized as you can make him stop his cruelties, straighten up his attitude, and remove his obsession from tennis. Make you mama proud eh?"

"S-sure thing." She fretfully responded. Her father-in-law's last statement kind of frightened her up.

"Hon, don't terrify the poor girl." Rinko halted her husband from teasing the lass.

"I'm not." Nanjirou replied haughtily. "And oh, tell us if that brat malfunctioned. All he need is a nice hit on the head."

"He's not like you, idiot." Sumire specified. "Dear, beware of guys like him." After the last stated advice, Sumire lowered the veil delicately, as a token for her final act as bride's mother, and an indication that the wedding would finally start.

* * *

"Behold, fair ladies and gentlemen," Ryoma yawned as the wedding celebrant started his opening statement. True to be told, he didn't like such formalities. It was too…conventional for his liking.

Way too formal. And he just loathed it.

"Today, we are here to witness a phenomenal event of uniting two individuals into one. We are fortunate to join them on such a remarkable event. Let's now be honored to begin this ceremony with the bride's arrival!" Immediately after his assertion, the doors swung wide open that made all the spectators' faces, including Ryoma's, to turn at the entrance to see the bride gracefully enter and walk down the aisle.

The procession did quite well, accompanied by Horio who was currently playing the wedding march with elegance. It was started by the entering of flower girls, ring bearer, bridesmaids (Ann and Sakuno's other girl friends), groomsmen (which included Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Oishi, Inui, and Kintarou), Sakuno's Maid of Honor, Tomoka, and Ryoma's (as unfortunate as it may seem) Best Man, Ryoga.

"Kya! Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka bellowed that caught the attention of the heavy-eyed tennis prince. "Take care of Sakuno, or else, be ready for your worst nightmare!"

"Koshimae!" Another loud voice came. "Best wishes!"

"Echizen, go get her!"

"Momo, quit it. It's embarrassing."

"Ii data." Inui looked up from his data notebook. "Good luck."

"Na na nya! Best wishes, O'chibi!" Eiji did a series of somersaults as he approached the groom. On his way, he noticed the lad besides the two other teens that roughly resembled Horio and Tomoka from before.

"O'chibi! Look what…oh, look _who_I found!" The acrobatic whiz's energetic voice resounded in the entire hall. Ryoma soon spotted a young lad that was swathed on his bouncy, former senpai's arms.

Tsukiyo was astounded with the abrupt clinging of a grown-up which he didn't seem to know or even meet within his entire existence. "E-Eh?"

"O'chibi junior! He looks exactly like you! And there I thought you and Ryuuzaki-chan had conceived a son even before you got married!" He then turned to the young boy and asked his name. But Tsukiyo said to himself that respecting the elders would be the right thing to do. He shut his mouth close, after uttering his name, though his irritated aura was yet present.

That wasn't really funny for a _joke _was it?

"Ryuuzaki-sensei! We all came to see your wedding!" Yuri shrieked that made all of them covered the auricle to somehow protect their eardrums. "Gosh, your groom looks very princely, sensei! And oh—" and before she could continue her mumble jumbles, Jinta managed to shut the lass' overly loquacious mouth with his hand.

Ryoma was more than tired of listening to his former senpai-tachi's jeers, bickering and whatnot. Even to his bride's students, who was way too irritating than his former upperclassmen. How he wished to push them all down to anywhere for as long as they couldn't bother him.

"Chibisuke," Yet his thoughts halted as his older brother, slash, quote and unquote 'Best Man' patted him on his back. "Here she comes."

All eyes were on the most-awaited person to complete and begin the rites.

"Gosh, she's beautiful."

"Is she the bride? How stunning."

"I must admit that she leveled Ryoma-sama's adorability."

"How I wish I can switch places with her right now."

"So fairy tales were true in the end."

Numerous wonderful remarks flooded her way as Sakuno entered graciously. She did realize, though her vision was vague because of the veil, that there were quite a lot of viewers and critiques who came to see their wedding. Ryoma was a celebrity, after all. No wonder she could come across hundreds (or even thousands) of ladies weeping for a lost of a hot bachelor through a wedding ceremony.

And yes, the thought itself bothered her.

Who knew if there were some who could throw arrows at her right that instant? She didn't want the date of her wedding be just the same as her _death date._ That would be horrible wouldn't it?

Then she became aware of the man beside her as he squeezed her hand, mentally saying, "Don't worry, he's yours" as how she put it. She didn't know if her father-in-law did it to boost her up, as he sensed that she was kind of uptight, or to deride his son, which happened to be her future husband.

Ryoma, on the other hand, didn't know exactly how to react upon seeing Sakuno. All the exasperations slipped away as soon as he took notice of the presence of the said maiden.

And it was, indeed, an abnormal sensation the he couldn't recognize.

It was unusual, yet serene.

Unusual, because it was the very first time he saw the lass wore such dress. Such a beautiful dress, as one must take note. And, he couldn't do anything about it. Well, it was serene, because he didn't feel like objecting at the thought. It did surprise him slightly. But he was taken aback as he caught sight of the person beside her future wife.

Was it…his father?

"Oi, seishonen." The old man happily accosted as he and Sakuno reached the end of the walkway, meeting his 'stupid' son, only to get his child pull a face.

"Woah. Lookie here." Ryoga interrupted. "What a sudden get-together isn't it?"

But instead of minding the two older Echizens, Ryoma did as what was told to him. And that is: to give a low bow right in front of whoever his bride was with, which, unfortunately, was his father. He should do it, or else he would have to stay longer with the ceremony that could kill him softly out of pure boredom.

"Now this is one of the reasons why I suggested that you should marry. For you to have that kind of manners…see that Ryoga?" Nanjirou greeted with a mixed tone of sarcasm and bliss. He _was_right. Only girls like the one next to him could make his son act like a civilized individual. Or at least he thought so.

"Precisely." Ryoga conceded with a nod.

The youngest of the three stood straight right after hearing the words from his father. Ryoma couldn't believe he had such family members as them.

"Whatever. We don't have all day." Ryoma stated casually.

"Now, did you just hear that, Oyaji?" Ryoga's eyes glimmered in utter delight.

"Loud and clear, son. I bet he's too excited of spending private, happy moments with Sakuno-chan!" Nanjirou could only imagine the times that the young couple might be having in the middle of their honey moon.

Meanwhile, Ryoma thought a bit if he was to continue the ceremony or not. He knew that he should be immune with the teasing of his father. But being accompanied by his brother was just too much. And if he wasn't on a televised, formal event such as his wedding, he wouldn't resist the urge to give those two some hard blows that could send them off to Ming Dynasty.

"You bet." Ryoma replied sarcastically. "Now could you please hurry up? So we could have those _private, happy moments_ that you're talking about the moment we get this done?"

Sakuno knew well that Ryoma was playing just to put the two older men off the scene. And she couldn't help laughing inwardly seeing that her in-laws were astonished with Ryoma's impulsive avowal.

"Okay, play nice son." Nanjirou blew off his last statement before returning the bow from earlier. He then placed Sakuno's hand to Ryoma's, followed by a conceited smile.

And after the taunts, the minister cleared his throat and said, "Now may I please request every one to remain standing for the opening hymn."

* * *

"_What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and __grieve to bear. What a privilege to carry, ev'rything to God in Prayer..."_

The opening hymn "What a friend we have in Jesus" (in Japanese version) commenced the wedding service. It was joyously sung by all of the people inside the hall, since this was probably the most widely known Christian hymn in Japan. The couple chose to follow the pattern of a traditional Protestant wedding ceremony, since it wasn't time-consuming (for they could pick what part of the ceremony was there or not), more practical, rather than the usual Japanese way. It was pretty relaxed, not overly or charismatically evangelical, and had low emphasis on some of the more conservative rites(2). No wonder Ryoma and Sakuno would choose it over the customary.

"_...Rapture, praise and endless worship, will be our sweet portion there."_And with that, they ended the song.

"You may all be seated." The clergyman announced.

"Hey, Tomo-chan," Ann whispered to the bride's Maid of Honor. "Why isn't Sakuno-chan crying?"

"Why would she?" Tomoka eyed the maiden as if she was insane.

"Isn't it cute to see the bride weeping?" An's dreamy eyes caused Tomoka to roll her own.

"An-chan. That's clichéd." Tomoka said impassively.

"Ugh…how rude." Ann glared at her. "Whatever."

The service then continued. And Sakuno couldn't help but to glance to the man on her right.

'_The tux looked good on him.' _She cerebrally admired, despite the urge to avoid it, on how Ryoma's genuine attractive features were highlighted through his choice of dress. She then suddenly remembered the compliment their former senpai-tachi gave him as they last went out her house to talk about the wedding. Echizen Ryoma was a _rich bastard_, no less. Could one probably imagine that?

'_He does really look like a rich bastard isn't he? Well, he _is _rich, and he _is _a bastard. No wonder that compliment go well with him.'_She chuckled slightly at the thought. But she didn't anticipate that it would catch the attention of the prince beside him.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, nothing, really."

Ryoma stared at her wife-to-be, for, evidently, there was something on her mind that broke their supposed silence. But, he had to admit, that she _was_beautiful wearing such dress. And no matter how he tried, it would still be evident that he was stunned with the maiden's outfit.

'_Beautiful, huh? Mada mada dane.' _Oh, but sure, he wouldn't want to ruin his cool personality, now, would he?

"May I request the groom and the bride to recite the very meaning of love that found on First Corinthians?"Ryoma's thoughts were ceased as he finally realized that he was, and still is at his own wedding ceremony.

Having heard the request from the minister, both of them responded, stood up, and started reading the verses.

"First Corinthians chapter thirteen verses four to seven: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres."

The verses somewhat stung Sakuno's inside. Could there be a kind of love that could contain such unselfishness?

"Thank you." The minister eyed the couple. "Now, let us utter a prayer, offering to the Lord this young couple to be with each other…"

* * *

And so, the ceremony went on, yet both of them didn't really mind. Not at all.

After the prayer, the rector resumed his talk. "Marriage is a lifetime commitment. A decision that will mark another chapter of one's life, that it should be tackled and planned carefully. But most of all, the man and the woman must prepare for themselves for the challenges ahead. We do not know about what will it be after this very moment. And so, vows are made. Not, take note, to be broken. But for each to cherish of what will be promised to each other." It was as if he was on a real church preaching about the importance of marriage and faithfulness.

"Now, we've come to the very moment of today's gathering." That precise statement made by the appointed cleric made the hairs at Sakuno's nape prickle. Sure, for it was time to affirm the wedding vows she had been preparing for ever since. "May I please request the couple to utter their vows for one another? It will then be followed by the exchange of wedding rings."

"Waa!" Eiji exclaimed. "We're on to the climax, people!"

"You bet, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro compromised with a beam seen on his features. "So young, so young. Hoho, Echizen! I actually thought you're not—ow!"

"You're ruining the mood, Momoshiro." Sumire interrupted, hitting the spiky-head man on the head, with her newspaper, yet again.

"Obaa-san! It wasn't necessary! Not necessary at all!" Momoshiro cried, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"It is, so shut up, okay?" The old woman replied, and then faced Fuji. "Fuji, ready for taking pictures?"

"You need not to say that, Sumire-chan. I'm absolutely—"

"S-Sumire-chan eh?" The older Ryuuzaki retorted with her wrinkled face crumpled even more.

"Probability of Fuji being strangled before the end of this day: 101.2471 percent." Inui pointed out moving his eyeglasses.

"Everyone, don't let your guard—"

"ECHIZEN! BESH WISHES! GREAT-O! BURNING!"

"Fssuhh…"

"Take care, Echizen. And oh, take care of Ryuuzaki-chan too! You should—"

"Mama Ooishiii! Stop worrying, nya! It doesn't suit you."

The encouragements, or more like taunts for Ryoma (care of his former senpai-tachi), brought the blissful yet comical atmosphere within the four corners of the hall. A supposed-to-be serious event made wacky, simply amazing, although they sounded as if Ryoma was on a middle of an intense tennis match. It slipped some of Sakuno's nervousness for a moment or two, much to her bewilderment, for she couldn't restrain laughing at the older men brightening the scene.

"Echizen Ryoma, let's start with you, young man." The minister instructed.

Hearing this, Sakuno gulped inwardly. "NO!" She exclaimed right before she could even think of what to say.

Typical Sakuno. Her 'think before you act attitude' was into her, _again_.

Well, except for the fact that she shouted loud enough for all the people to hear it, to say the least.

"Excuse me?" The clergy asked.

Silence.

"O-oh! I-I was—" but before she managed to speak, Ryoma butted in, uttering his vow with total confidence. But of course, he wouldn't be a prodigy, a _bastard_prodigy for nothing. And after all, he did practice that well yesterday.

"I, Echizen Ryoma, take you, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And hereto I pledge you my faithfulness."

On the other hand, the very statement declared by her husband-to-be played a hundred…no, a thousand times on Sakuno's mind, that made her feel a bit lightheaded. She didn't know what to feel.

…_to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part…_

Should she be glad?

Or nervous?

Or should she feel both?

"Ryuuzaki-san?" she was stopped to her senses as the reverend called her name.

"Y-yeah?"

"Your turn."

Shoot.

"I-I—" –_gulp-_"Ryuuzaki S-Sakuno, t-take you—"_-gulp-_"Echizen R-Ryoma-_kun_, t-to be my w-wedded h-husband…"

She knew it wouldn't be easy, for their practice the other day was clearly the proof for it. But she didn't foresee that I would be _this_hard, now that she was experiencing the real thing. Her stuttering was more than visible, and the unintentional honorific, which was supposed to be forgotten, was uttered by her in her own wedding, no less.

"You…may continue, Ryuuzaki-san."

"Oh." How she wished for the floorings to swallow her right then and there.

"T-to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, f-for richer, for p-poorer, in s-sickness and in health, to l-love and to cherish, 'till d-death—"

_D-death?_

"…d-do us part. And hereto I pledge you m-my faithfulness." A sigh of relive was in evidence the moment she uttered the last word of the vow.

"Tsk. Tsk. Very Sakuno." Tomoka complimented. "If I didn't know better, I bet she's been practicing that line for days." She then sighed in defeat. "Sure, old selves die hard ne?"

"Aa, so true." An compromised. "But she's cute, isn't she?"

"Nope." Tomoka said. "She's not."

"Eh?" Ann glanced at her with wide eyes.

"She's beautiful."

* * *

"…and, this rings would be the symbols of your vows, and should be kept for the rest of your life…" after the short message from the clergy, there came the second most important part of a wedding, the vows for exchanging rings. Both Ryoma and Sakuno were ordered to face each other to begin the said vow.

She didn't like what was on her mind that moment. Full of negativity and all, and it was just way too much for her to contain the whole of it. Then she took notice of the silver rings carried by the ring bearer. She then realized the idyllic instant down there at Banji's jewelry shop where they got the rings. It somehow decreased the inner fear she was dealing with, but it made a come back to her tenfold immediately after Ryoma started speaking.

"I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to be with you as long as I live." After which, Ryoma placed the ring gently to her ring finger.

All of them, namely the nosy senpai-tachi plus the Echizen father-and-son tandem, whistled in glee.

"Whoopee!" Kintarou winced. "Haha…you rock, Koshimae!"

'_Che.' _He then displayed his infamous trademark smirk, as if he was on a match, where he was completely in control.

But, unluckily, this wasn't anywhere near a game, especially not for Sakuno.

"Young lady, your turn."

_Gulp._

"I-I give you this r-ring as a v-visible and constant symbol of my p-promise to b-be with you as l-long as I l-live." She did look unbelievable, for the stutters and all that. But Ryoma just watched her, evidently amused. He did not expect that the maiden would be that tensed, since he hardly felt anything given he was as dense as ice to begin with.

After the breath-taking vows, the couple both signed the chapel register. Thus, they were _officially_ wedded. The crowd had different reactions with this. Some of them were specifically envious of Sakuno, being married with the prince, but all of them were in bliss altogether.

"By the power invested upon me by the country of Japan and its constitution, I now pronounce you, _husband_ and _wife_…"

Sakuno's heartbeat genuinely beat faster ten times that it was in the vows. And the cheers and the hurly-burly brought by the people even increased it twentyfold.

"…Young man, you may now _kiss_ your bride."

'_K-Kiss?'_She chocked when the wedding minister emphasized the word that was never in her vocabulary ever since. And she felt that she was the only one apprehensive about it.

"Chhhuuuu…" Nanjirou perked his lips mockingly towards his son. "Go get her son! Show them what you got!" he howled barbarically like a mad man, which earned another hit from the wrinkled woman.

It took them some minutes to realize that they were being stared for quite a long time by the viewers lingering patiently for their most-awaited moment. The couple caught themselves holding intent gazes at each other that they look away quickly after became conscious of it.

"S-So…" Sakuno halted herself from saying anything. She knew it would be the best to keep her mouth shut.

Without warning, Ryoma slowly lifted the veil, and leaned towards the startled maiden. It fired up Sakuno's cheeks to beet red, mostly out of embarrassment and her timid nature mixed up.

"R-Ryoma-kun…?" she was well aware that it shouldn't be awkward for her, since they we're married in the first place. But, unluckily, Ryoma was nowhere near what she felt.

So, he leaned closer.

And closer…

Close enough that the distance could probably be out in no time. Both of their foreheads were on their extremes of proximity, making Sakuno shut her eyes thoughtlessly.

They were about to lock the space between them entirely, but then…

_Hiccup._ Sakuno covered her mouth with her hands out of discomfiture, and Ryoma couldn't resist the urge to put up a sly grin on his face.

"Mada Mada Dane, Ryuu—Sakuno." Then he kissed the humiliated lass lightly on her right cheek.

After which, Sakuno instantaneously learned a lesson: _'Never put your tenseness ahead. That could lead you to_hiccups_.'_

**TBC.**

(1)Since this is a chapel wedding, this was supposed to be in a church right? But, 'chapels' in Japan are not like that. It roughly refers to restaurants, or, hotels to put it decent. Keio Plaza Hotel is the nearest.

(2)The description of the Western Style of Japanese wedding is taken from triple 'w' dot seiyaku dot com. Article is: "Western Style Weddings in Japan."


	10. A Happy Ever After

"_**For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked."**_

_**-Bill Cosby**_

**X. **_A Happy Ever After (Or not!)_

The wedded couple exited the hall after the celebrant's benediction and the final hymn, much to Ryoma's relief. He actually thought the wedding's tediousness could practically bury him alive. But just as he supposed that he could finally have some rest, larger nuisances seemed to await the two of them.

"Echizen Sakuno…" Tomoka uttered repeatedly. "Kya! I just love it, Sakuno!" The ever-loud woman continued showing off her extremely shrill voice, much to his annoyance.

"A-ah, Tomo-chan…" '_Some things didn't seem to change, do they?'_Sakuno smiled at the thought. You couldn't blame Tomoka. As Sakuno's friend, she had been always worried about the maiden's future. And after, it was her time, as others thought, to be happy and settled.

'_Oh please, God. Why? Why does it have to reach this far? …'_She silently prayed. Sakuno honestly thought it was about time to stop. She was damn tired and groggy. She didn't expect that weddings could be _that_exhausting. From the preparations, and to the program itself, everything was set all throughout. Yet all they did was to stand, in front of all those people (and media, of course) for about thirty minutes or so, exchange cheesy lines, and do a _kiss_in public. Well, those had to be a challenge for her, since she disliked crowds or the overflowing attention ever since.

She glanced to her side, only to notice her husband extremely bored, with sluggish eyes that begged for it to meet its end and rest.

'_Hah, typical Ryoma-kun…'_She thought. And it made her smile a little, as she watched the tennis prince yawn with utter tedium.

The reception hall had been crowded for a while now. And for their families and invited friends, plus the inevitable press, it was sufficient to say that the venue had grown incredibly small.

"Greet your guests." Ryuuzaki-sensei ordered, that made the two of them flinch a little. She was observing the pair all along. And, after all, she wasn't that foolish to not see the discomfort between the two. In which, she had guessed that this had to be their common point: sucking in social life.

"O-Of course." Sakuno couldn't possibly believe she was stammering at the moment. She actually thought she grew out of it. "I'll go meet Tomo-chan and the others." She kissed her grandma's right cheek then went on her way to join her girlfriend's table. And all what's left were Ryoma and the old woman.

"Ryoma," she said, then cleared her throat. "You know very well how vulnerable my granddaughter is, right?"

He then replied with a "Hn" and a curt nod.

"Well, make sure you really do." Ryuuzaki-sensei did look serious that moment. It was as if she was trying to lecture him or something. "It's not to lecture you, but to warn you of things. Sakuno could be in lots of trouble in the future. And I would trust you enough…to protect her." The sensation was just right. After all, he was indeed her knight in shining armor ever since, way back in junior high.

"I will." He simply said, not wanting to add more of the sentence he uttered.

"Oh, and yeah, play nice eh?" Wait, did he just see Ryuuzaki-sensei wink? For a moment, he thought that the old woman also was beginning to act like his own father.

* * *

On the other hand, Sakuno somehow managed to find her peers without getting lost. Yet, she unexpectedly thought that going there was a bad idea after all.

"So, Sakuno," Tomoka, having her yeah-I'm-so-nosy-but-so-what smirk, approached her newly-wedded best friend. "When are you guys going to do 'it'?"

The one questioned just eyed her with confusion, which decided to remain silent during the whole exchange.

"Lemme guess then… at the honeymoon maybe." An interrupted, chuckling evily.

Sakuno sighed. Of course, she did grasp exactly what Tomoka and An were talking about and what they were pointing out. She wasn't that dumb to think of what couples do with their…time together. She was, after all, a teacher.

"I don't even want to know what that 'it' you're talking about means." She stated, acting foolish. But she was an awful actress, and the two lasses knew that very well.

"Hah, don't make me laugh, Sakuno." Tomoka retorted with bits of discontent.

"My, my, how tempting." Both Tomoka and An knew that Sakuno's playing them.

But before the two could retort, Sakuno said in a flash. "But sadly, there's no way I'm going to do that, sorry to disappoint." Moreover, she was positive it would be the same way that her husband would treat the topic at hand.

"But you're married! Unfertile couples are the one's insecure about that matter, just so you know. So, stop acting like a child, Sakuno. Sexual relationship between couples! It does matter and the secret key ingredient to your intimacy." Tomoka smiled from ear to ear but did try to sound as educational and as civilized as possible; for she was well aware her friend was just fighting the urge to raise both of her brows.

"Now that was unexpected." An commented, making sure that her senses didn't fail her of what she just heard. "Since when did you learn that kind of stuffs eh?"

"A while." was her simple yet intriguing response, with an obvious grin seen on her features.

It was difficult to persuade her friends, as Sakuno would've thought. All of them were expecting that she and Ryoma would end up together after all. Yet even though she seemed regretful about her situation, surprisingly enough, she didn't appear saddened or gloomy at all.

"But, admit it." An suddenly interrupted her trail of thoughts. "It was worth the wait, eh? For Echizen-kun?"

That was supposed to be an easy question to answer. All she needed was to say "shut up" and everything should be fine. But, to her disbelief, her mind went blank. Yet to clear her friend's frustration, she simply shrugged in response. It was hard for her to comment and or even speak a word about it.

The clattering of wine glasses and the guests in their chatters resounded the within the venue's four corners. The reception continued, and the rest was history.

"So, I guess that you're bride left you all alone." Ryoma scowled upon hearing that dreadful voice he knew so well.

Ryoma turned his head from his seat to throw a menacing glare towards the man huddled behind him. But, to his utter dismay, there were two other people with Momoshiro, all bundled up with wolf grins plastered on their faces.

"What do you want?" Ryoma's scowl deepened as they decided to grab a few chairs and keep him company.

"Well, since your lovely bride is having some girl talk," Fuji smiled wider as Ryoma averted his deadly gaze towards his direction. "We decided to take a stroll and spark up a conversation with the husband of the dazzling maiden on table number 5." He became satisfied when he saw Ryoma clench the cloth of his chair.

'_Tch. Idiotic groomsmen.' _Ryoma placed his hands on his chest, mentally picturing their faces once he decided to hammer it with Tomoka's present (It was a very huge vase).

"So," Momoshiro started. "When are you planning to have some real fun?" His grin turned into something different and his voice became hoarse, husky.

"Yeah! I want to see a dozen O'chibis holding your tennis rackets!" Eiji demanded. "So, are you going to do 'it' with her tonight?"

"Wha-?" Ryoma's expressionless façade crumbled into nothingness as he grasped the thought his friends were trying to bring forward. _'They wanted me to have sex with Sakuno?'_ The thought he had was out of shock and he didn't even realize that he used her first name.

"Well, you're married! And we wanted to know if she's your first one." Momoshiro leaned on, wanting to take some juicy information out of his best bud.

"I'm a virgin." His cool response earned gasps from Eiji and Momoshiro. "Happy?"

"Or, if you're her first." Fuji smiled mysteriously as Ryoma grasped what he was muttering about. "You'll never know until you try it." He smiled again, which led for the other two to smile with him.

"Yeah! Fujiko's right!" Eiji praised Fuji's witty comeback. "And it does feel good when you're having an intimate relationship. You can even try having se—"

Momoshiro flung his hand on the redhead's mouth, clearly embarrassed by the racket Eiji was making with his loud voice. Sensing Ryoma's discomfort as well, he then grinned again. "Well, we better get going."

"For once, you have decided on doing something I agree with." Ryoma ruffled his tousled hair and glanced impassively at his friends. With that, Momoshiro dragged Eiji outside and beckoned Fuji to just follow.

"Here." Fuji threw a purple box, which Ryoma effortlessly caught. "Just in case."

Ryoma eyed the tennis prodigy suspiciously. He then averted his gaze on the box Fuji had given him. Upon reading the caption, his eyes instantly grew wide and he hid the pack in such pace that would make Akira Kamio proud. After that, he lifted his gaze to meet Fuji's, only to find him smiling and totally amused.

"It's grape-flavored." He smiled deeper as Ryoma glared at him. "I really wanted to give you another one but they all said that there was no available at the moment." He turned around after that, leaving the golden-eyed lad blaze in anger.

"Tch. As if I'll use it." Ryoma tucked the package inside his deepest pocket, making sure that it won't fall and he won't end up explaining all this.

"By the way, Echizen." Ryoma jerked his head, facing the tensai yet again. "She likes it when you pay close attention at the right side of her collarbone. Your tongue will do the trick."

The little advice Fuji gave him struck like a hammer in his head. Unable to glare at the brown-haired man since he had fled away, Ryoma stood from his chair and thought of a dozen ways on how to kill Fuji Syuusuke.

* * *

Immediately after the strenuous soirée, the couple slumped slothfully once they got on the couches. But as soon as they regained their awareness, both noticed that all the guests were out and they were alone, on the room, which made them a bit awkward with each other's presence.

"A-ah…Ryoma-kun?" True to be told, Sakuno didn't want to think about anything…perverted. She was aware that she was married, but, some things were just inevitable. But the way how Ryoma looked that moment gave her lumps of sweat that she couldn't explain where could possibly come out. Was it because of…say, _temptation_?

'_Don't even think about it, Sakuno.'_She said to herself.

"Hn?" His voice rang throughout her system urging her to do something...

"_But you're married! Unfertile couples are the one's insecure about that matter, just so you know. So, stop acting like a child, Sakuno. Sexual—"_

"AAAAHHH!" She wailed on top of her lungs to try releasing the foreign emotion she was feeling moments ago. _'Calm down, Sakuno!'_She shouted to herself. She even slapped her face a number of times, yet still failed miserably.

"H-Huh-what?" Ryoma was alarmed from his wife's sudden screaming, yet was still obviously heavy-eyed.

"O-Oh." She abruptly realized that she just sounded like an upset stomach a while ago. And it was kind of… embarrassing, to say the least. She muttered bunch of apologies after that, though her companion really didn't mind. He was, all at once, stuck with the way his wife looked that moment.

Her flushed face, with tinge of faint pink on her cheeks, and the way she was dressed certainly did caught him off-guard. He didn't get enough chance to examine her during the ceremony, for he was too busy minding his boredom. And yes, he had to concede, that Sakuno did certainly look beautiful. For him, it was amusing she gained way to cure her acute clumsiness, but still remained her shy nature unharmed. He then unmannerly clutched the small package at his pocket, and instantly let go of it as well. Yet, much to his relief, his thoughts lasted for a matter of seconds before he completely got back his composure.

"Oi. Let's go. The car's ready." Nanjirou intruded the couple's privacy as he informed them that they should go. Both then changed their wardrobe and started to follow the old man to their Porsche.

* * *

Narita International Airport wasn't a little far from Kawamura's restaurant. Yet, the thirty-minute ride from there was a little…awkward. Not just for Sakuno, but for Ryoma as well. However, for the prince, keeping his cool would be necessary, since it was never on his mind to give a damn with such a balderdash reason: his true feelings and unwanted urges towards the maiden he married. Others—that would be his fans and all unrelated to him—might think that the words "love" or "care" didn't occur to him to begin with, not even in their wildest dreams or imagination. His fierce look toward his opponents on court was the absolute proof of it. But, was that enough?

The airport was still crowded, even if it was still six in the morning (1). Most people gazed, as others did not mind the appearance of the infamous couple. There were a few fans who asked for Ryoma's autograph, much to Sakuno's amusement. She took note of his irritated expression, in which he badly kept off as more people decided to move closer to him. On the contrary, there were guys as well who decided to take pictures of the tennis prince's wife instead. And that made Ryoma walk a little faster and farther away from the crowd.

Rinko uttered as she waved good bye to the couple. "Take care, Sakuno-chan!"

"A baby would be the—ow!" Nanjirou hollered but was halted by Ryuuzaki-sensei and her prepared newspaper, hitting him on the head as usual.

"Stop associating your son to yourself, okay?" Sumire shoved him away and bid her goodbyes to the departing couple.

"Hon, could you stop teasing your son?" Rinko chuckled lightly as she watched her husband rub his temple.

"I know both of you wanted that, too." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Besides, he knew exactly that he was right, for the two older women's desire for a grandchild was written all over their faces. '_Mada mada dana…'_he thought.

"Oh, yeah." Then Rinko paused for a bit. "Where's Ryoga?"

The older Echizen immediately said, "Who knows? He might be thinking of getting married too, considering Ryoma was the first to get married." He then laughed hilariously at his own statement, after imagining what his older son might be doing. And there he thought he just couldn't be proud for his sons.

"We better go." Ryoma declared, not anymore wanting to ruin his day with his father's taunts. He was damn sick of it, for goodness' sake. First, with his senpais, then his father. He never did know that they were_that_ eager for a baby. "Let's go, Sakuno."

"Go for the gold, son! And make sure you'd bring home the bacon eh?" His father's metaphors were as lucid as how he said it. He even thought that he saw Sakuno's cheeks flame as he glanced at her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ryoma replied grumpily.

"Yaho! Now that's what I'm talking about." Nanjirou turned his back to his son happily as the "sign of reassurance" were uttered by Ryoma himself.

The goodbyes were all over. And they were all ready to go.

Sakuno's fingers remained intertwined with Ryoma's as they watched their families waved and congratulated them for what had just transpired. She had been used with holding hands with him that it was not the reason of her uncomfortable state. She then glanced at her husband, only to find his eyes on her.

Ryoma cocked his head, showing that he was curious about her current appearance. He then glanced at their hands, only to find Sakuno shaking her head afterwards.

"A-Are you really sure with your answer?" Sakuno hesitantly asked.

"Huh?" Ryoma didn't seem to pick up the point of this conversation.

"W-With Nanjirou-san's s-statement. Y-You're willing to do… 'i-it'?" Sakuno bowed her head low, thinking about her stupidity.

Ryoma smirked, absorbed with his wife's internal hysteria. He eventually let go of her hand, earning her flushed and confused gaze. With one fling, his arm came round her slim waist and his face near her ear. He could tell that his parents, together with Sumire, were all watching (Nanjirou was shouting cheers).

"Do you want me to?" He was flirting with her. And he somewhat enjoyed it.

Sakuno stood there as rigid as his tennis racket, obviously not in the condition to voice out her internal thoughts. Ryoma enjoyed her shocked expression all throughout the scene. But when he thought that she was about to faint, he gently kissed her forehead and returned with holding her hand (Nanjirou pouted like a kid at this).

"Wait!" Tomoka and An pulled Sakuno aside, then handed to her a neatly-wrapped box with a ribbon on top of it. In bewilderment, the lass in return, crossed her brows suspiciously.

"T-Tomo-chan, An-chan…what's with the two of you?" Sakuno then impulsively got hold of the box, mused and turned her gaze back towards the two of them. "What's this?"

'_Well obviously, a box.' _She continued at the back of her mind, expecting this as an answer of the two maiden, knowing both of them.

"Don't worry about what's that. Just be thankful, Sakuno-chan." Tomoka winked that caused her best friend to trouble herself more. "And promise us to give it your best shot." Then, the two let out fits of giggles. Sakuno, on the other hand, didn't know if she was to run or what, though.

And as she was about to open it out of full curiosity, the two halted her at once.

"Na-a-ah, not until you got on the plane, of course." An's voice, for Sakuno, meant as if there's something that didn't seem to fit. There's _something fishy,_and she had a strong, sneaking suspicion about it_._It was like something bad would happen.

But for whatever was inside it, she settled not to fire up an argument on the two and followed just as they said. She didn't want to ruin their elated moods, after all.

"Okay, see you later Sakuno-chan! Play nice!" Then the two went off.

Just then, when the two were about to go, a number of reporters cornered and bombarded them, asking stark questions about the sudden marriage.

_Crap. _Ryoma uttered on the back of his mind. He told his manager to keep his and Sakuno's departure a secret, for things such as these might happen. Unfortunately for them, there was no security protecting them by the moment, for he ordered any of them not to follow wherever they would go.

"Have you gone on an official date? How come the wedding's way too fast?" A fat, mouse-faced reporter asked.

"What's the truth behind this wedding, Echizen Ryoma-kun?" A nerdy, thin girl appeared before his eyes.

"Ryoma-sama, do you really want this girl? Why she if one of the Chocolates (2) could be yours?" A blonde bimbo shoved the thin girl away.

"Do the two of you _really_ love each other?"

"Have you made love? Or conceived a son?"

"Who would have thought that a…commoner could marry someone such as you, Ryoma-sama. Was this a…shot gun marriage?"

Now that was foul and that was about it. Sakuno just lost her thinning patience. Yes, teachers like her couldn't simply put that off. But considering the below-the-belt questions the media was asking right that instant, she couldn't resist the urge to bury all of them once and for all.

"Well, actually, we—" she was about to explain herself, wanting to maintain her ever-loved privacy intact, however halted when her husband did an unexpected act.

Without warning or any of that sort, the tennis prodigy swiftly pulled her waist close to his, sealing the gap between them. He held her flaming cheeks with his hand, while placing his lips on hers in the process. Sakuno tried to let go, gripping tightly on the prince's arms, but of course, prodigies like him weren't called as such for nothing.

Then, letting go from the kiss, Ryoma confidently stated, "Need I say more?" while grabbing Sakuno's hand without caution. And _that_ all the more shocked all of the media desiring for an exaggerated scoop. But as they say, you should expect the unexpected. And that applies for Ryoma, too.

"Now now, could you please excuse us?" Ryoma stated, never removing the grin he has on his features. He felt more dominant seeing all the astonished faces in front of him. He tightened his grip to his wife's hand, then decided to stride after feeling satisfied of the reaction they had all made.

With a confused state, mixed with a twinge of anger, Sakuno asked, attempting to release the butterflies on her stomach. "W-What the hell is up?" She tried sounding calm, but her voice seemed cracked.

"Hn?" Ryoma answered casually. Uh-oh.

"You do know very well what I'm talking about, don't you? So stop acting like it's nothing." Sakuno managed to say all that without stuttering. She was damn furious, for Pete's sake.

"Oh, you meant the kiss?" Twitch. Twitch.

"Don't act stupid. I know you liked it." Okay, that should be enough.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more." She sarcastically retorted, crossing her brows further.

"See?"

"Hah, enough confidence eh?" _Bastard…_That was the single word that popped through her mind, with the feeling of bursting veins on the process. She couldn't possibly believe that his pride grew over the years. More than it was used to, before. And that irritated her. Let alone his infamous smirks and mada mada dane's. But, she must admit that it was somehow a feeling from way back overly familiar.

"That's why I never lose."

"Ugh…forget it." Sakuno gave in, and make her mind up to simply dissolve her anger. It would be unhealthier for her if she continued with the mood than just neglecting the subject matter. And yeah, who would want to argue with someone destined to always win? '_Right, he'll always be him…'_

Yet, her thoughts were cut short as Ryoma continued his statement frivolously. "I never did that for something I'm sure you're thinking now."

Silence. And a cumbersome one, to be precise. And then that hit her.

"I-I know, who am I to think that, right?" So, that was it. It was to drive the press away, and not for the reason she was expecting. She was certain of it, but why was there a nuance of something which made her mind blank?

"Let's go." Ryoma said, not even noticing that their hands were still intertwined. That confused her more, for she didn't know what to believe in.

* * *

Moments slipped away, as the couple finally arrived to the plane on one piece. Thank goodness the press wasn't able to follow them since then.

"Mr. and Mrs. Echizen, this way, please." It was kind of…tingling to Sakuno's ears when she heard the attendant called her that.

And, it was then they both noticed that they were still holding each other's hand. Abruptly, Sakuno detached hers from his grasp. Ryoma looked at her stoically, clearly not minding the lost of physical contact. _'Of course he wouldn't.'_Yet, the lass failed to notice Ryoma's knuckles twisted rather tightly on the sides. Then they hesitantly followed the crew to their seats.

"Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts for take off. Thank you."They heard the announcement of the flight attendant. Sakuno, much to her dismay, could only feel panic. It wasn't her first on board, mind you. It was for she was seated next to Ryoma, and the feeling was unsettling. She was married to the said man, and to top all that, she just had an outburst in front of him. She knew it was idiotic to assume they wouldn't be seated together, for they were wedded, right? How she wished to twist and turn back time to exactly where she was caught up with her grandma telling her the news of her wedding, and answering the old woman that she strongly disagree.

But, that simply wouldn't work out.

And there, all of the people around her actually thought it was a _happy ever after_, which resembled that of fairy tales' endings…clichéd fairy tales. And for her, it was tiring to decipher what they were all thinking about any longer. But, one thing's for sure, as so she thought, they exactly all didn't know a thing. Not even a little of it.

To relieve herself of all the terrorizing pressures, she just let out a faint yawn, and permitted her thoughts to swoon her.

Ryoma, on the other hand, was preoccupied in reading the latest tennis magazine written by Inoue-san. He vaguely remembered that the aforementioned name was kind of related to him. Well, in his career, at least. He thought that was why he instinctively got the magazine from God knows where. Yet, he knew that recalling faces, especially matching them with their names, wasn't his forte. So, he let it slip through. He removed the magazine from his grasp, and then held his forehead, massaging it slightly.

Afterwards, just as he subtly slouched from where he was sitting and was about to call it a day, an old man, who was seated adjacent to them, asked with a faint voice out of the blue that caught Ryoma's attention. "Son, is she your girl?" Of course, he was referring to the woman beside the prince who, yet not much of his surprise, was fast asleep at the moment.

He clearly heard what the old man said. But responding with a 'Hn?' surely suited his character best.

Patiently, the man repeated. "Is she your girl?" Yet, instead of answering, Ryoma remained silent, half ignoring the elderly.

"Appreciate her now." That specific statement rang through his system. It was striking that it couldn't get away from him easily. And even if he wanted to object, he still couldn't grasp the whole ordeal of telling that to him. But even before he could retort, probably with his infamous _Mada Mada Dane_, the old man continued. "Love her, or lose her later."

_Love her, or lose her later._It kept repeating on his head over and over again. What the hell did that meant? He was certain that the old man didn't utter those words for him to take all that literally. But, sure enough, it was never easy for him to tell these kinds of things, for besides tennis, Karupin and his ever-loved Ponta were the only things on his mind.

That's all. Or…was it?

"_Who would have thought that a…commoner could marry someone such as yourself, Ryoma-sama. Was this a…shot gun marriage?"_

If it were him, it would be an instant "yes" that all he could think for an answer. It was all their parents' idea, anyway. And for all he cared, he would rather stay a bachelor than to marry and cause a commotion as such. Yet, he couldn't help but to do such spontaneous actions, seeing the maiden that upset and shamed in front of all those people. It pained him and triggered his consciousness and control. All that mattered to him was one thing, to protect the vulnerable Sakuno at all cost. Who knew if she would never regain her privacy ever again and accused her of horrible things? _A_ _gold digger, an attention getter, or even…a bitch,_that might cause her sudden break down. And it was something he too couldn't handle, given the temper he also had.

"_I never did that for something I'm sure you're thinking now."_

"_I-I know, who am I to think that, right?"_

But of course, it was also something he would rather keep within himself. He wasn't the showy type of person, and that was a fact. So, instead of telling the truth, that he involved himself into a supposed shot gun marriage without further complaints, it would be helpful, even to himself, to just leave it on to themselves to think through, including Sakuno. And as they say, _action speaks louder than words._

He just couldn't help but to let out a slight grin at the thought.

"_Appreciate her now…"_

"_Love her, or lose her later…"_

'_Che.'_And just like that, he instantaneously dropped the topic on his mind, sensing that he was way too uncomfortable of it. Sorting out his true feelings for Sakuno was way too much for him, to say the least. Yes, it hadn't been compared to gazillion Twist Serves or Cyclone Smashes. And he'd rather talk to a tree than taking time knowing the "emotional" abnormalities inside him.

'_She's stupid and a klutz. How the heck would I fall for that?' _He eyed his companion before closing his golden orbs. He'd just make sure he would have a nice cup of coffee later.

* * *

"Nanjirou, are you sure they'd be fine?"

"There's nothing to worry about."

"_The Loire Valley, located about an hour's train ride from Paris, is home to many castles, including one 14th Century French Chateau featured on TV's 'Joe Millionaire,' and it doesn't cost more than an average hotel night stay. Walk hand-in-hand through the Chateau's gardens together, explore the countryside and wineries and feel the tension of the real world melt away. You want a fairy tale wedding, so extend your wedding into a fairy tale honeymoon."_

"It does sound good, coming from the pamphlet." Rinko wrinkled her nose, not really sure if it was right for them to bring those two in a place like that.

"Don't worry!" Nanjirou draped his arm around Rinko's shoulder. "The manager told me that the rooms are soundproof even if their setting is a castle. So, if those two are busy, no one will hear a thing—OW!"

Rinko pinched him once again with a glare sent to his face, a glare matching that of Ryoma's. "I wasn't worrying about that, you slimy pervert."

"I was just kidding!" Nanjirou flapped his arms defensively, but eventually regained his goofy grin. "Well, the suite _is_ big. And I heard that the bed is soft. They can do it anywhere-mmph!"

"Shut your mouth if you don't want to have that pillow in your head for too long." Rinko sat on his head while reading the pamphlet at hand.

* * *

"Wow." It was the only word that Sakuno could utter as she gasped silently when they entered the walls of Loire Valley. It was simply breathtaking, especially for someone who hadn't been to Paris yet. The ceiling was filled with beautiful murals of cherubim and angels; a grand chandelier was hanged by the lobby. There were a few Europeans by the reception desk, talking with the beautiful porcelain blondes behind it. Foreigners mostly composed the lobby. She saw Americans, a few Japanese, Chinese businessmen, and a lot more of whom she doesn't know of.

"Stay here." Ryoma let go of her hand and went to the reception desk.

Ryoma knew from the start that the woman with auburn hair behind the computer would be on flirt-mode as he reached the counter. He had not proven this by just his inflated ego or by his experience, but also because that the lass was already smearing thick, dark red lipstick on her lips. It really did make him disgusted, and he would prefer to kiss Sakuno anytime instead of sluttish French women like that.

"_Can I help you sir?_" The blonde's voice was seductive, though her English was a bit broken. Her eyes were trailing every crevice of his Adonis-like face. And yes, it did irritate him.

"_A key to room 1734. The Honeymoon Suite_," Ryoma replied flawlessly in the same manner and smirked seeing the bimbo's face turned downcast.

Ryoma turned around upon getting their key, only to spot his wife with a European man. _A young European man_. He didn't know why, but he felt the sudden urge to use his Twist Serve on that guy, with or with no racket at hand. He strode towards them, thinking that maybe Sakuno find it mortifying to talk with someone she doesn't know. But, as he neared enough to see her expression, he found it stunning to find Sakuno laughing and smiling with the European.

"Oh! Ryoma-kun!" He broke out of his trance, clearly not knowing that he was already staring.

"This is Philippe." Sakuno smiled at Philippe's direction. "Philippe, this is Echizen Ryoma. He's my… ahh—"

"Husband." Ryoma uttered the word with emphasis yet remained impassive towards Sakuno's lack of introduction. He then pulled Sakuno's wrist, not even wanting the other lad to say a single word. "Let's go. Nice meeting you."

Sakuno staggered behind her husband, not knowing what she should say about his rude behavior. He continued to walk to the elevator, eager to be inside their room as fast as they could and not to sense the presence of that unlikeable creature named…Patrick? Or was it Pierre?

"What's wrong?" Sakuno faced Ryoma as they entered the elevator. "Why did you drag me away from Philippe?"

"I want to go to the suite." Ryoma impassively retorted, lowering his hold until it reached her hand.

"Well, you could go by—" Sakuno was cut short in the midst of her statement and chose not to lengthen their abrupt conversation, knowing that the lad was in no condition to respond honestly.

'_Oh boy, this will be a long weekend...'_

* * *

'_And here I thought that the lobby was glamorous.'_Sakuno paced around their suite, which was as big as the Ryuuzaki household without the second floor. Ryoma was currently on the shower, being there as soon as they got inside. Sakuno decided to roam around a little bit after dressing up, only to find things that can be of good use during their stay.

She had already opened Tomoka and An's gift. It was a silk nightgown. It was a spaghetti strap, above the knee and purple in color. It wasn't that revealing, so she thought that it might be a good idea to wear it tonight, since she doesn't want to rummage through her stuff underneath her suitcase. She loosened her tight bun and her auburn hair tumbled behind her back. At last, it was time to finally relax after an exhausting day.

The bed was humungous. A four-poster bed with the size of two queens fitted together. The mattress was soft and the pillowcases and blankets were made out of satin. She could really say that she was inside a castle. Slightly curious as to what might be inside the side drawers, Sakuno decided to open the nearest one to her, expecting to see some manual and a few magazines.

Yet as she unfastened the drawer, four copies of Kama Sutra were what she saw. The title was printed in bold, yellow Indian letters, together with English translation below. A Post-It note was stuck with the bundle, which was the only one she took before slamming the drawer back as it was. She began shifting her gaze to the note, only to catch her self in stupor. The note says:

_Hey there, shounen! Thought that I might give you a few pointers on how to do it! Well, since I know that you would just slam the door into my face if I try to do it personally, I decided to ship 4 copies of my Kama Sutras there. There are a lot of vital information inside, so be careful. Oh! And is Sakuno-chan a virgin? If so, page 43 of book 1 will do the trick. If not, consult the other books then._

_Have fun!_

_Nanjirou._

Ryoma stepped outside the shower as he heard the slamming noise of the drawer by the bed. And as he reached the four-poster bed, he saw his wife, wearing a very revealing nightgown, her chocolate tresses spilling behind her head and a dazed look on her eyes. He couldn't comprehend if it was just because of his train of thoughts inside the bathroom (which revolted on his conversation with his friends earlier) or because she triggered his intact hormones out of its cage. For once in his life, he felt ravenous towards a woman and not towards food of victory.

Shaking his improper thoughts aside, he focused on the piece of orange paper attached on Sakuno's limping index finger. He sat next to her, still focused with the fact that she was completely blown away.

"Oi." Then he called her name thrice, yet it seemed that she was still in her own little world. Thus, without further adieu, he began reading the contents of the Post-It, and then throwing it away right after.

"R-Ryoma-kun?" Her voice rang in his ears, and he was able to tell that she was done with the traumatic text she had just read on that devious paper.

"Hn." Ryoma reasoned to only look at her face and not look down, since he would be taking bait of what the devil had offered to him. Yet, as he stared at her concerned features, he couldn't deny that his vision was getting hazier by the minute. He could not take his gaze away from her blushing cheeks of her soft, pink yet chapped lips—and that wasn't good. He unmannerly clutched the small package on his pajama's pocket, apparently not yet disposing Fuji's 'gift'.

"Uhm… t-the books are, ah…e-etou…on the side table." Sakuno flushed like a tomato, thinking that he might have misinterpreted it into something else. "W-Well, I-I don't mean that we would—"

Ryoma halted her little speech by kissing her cheek, his lips cold and tingling. Ryoma then covered his head with the blanket, his back facing Sakuno. She then smiled as she watched the lad's breathing return to normal, knowing that he must be tired. Tucking herself in, she moved a little farther away, not really sure if he was okay with her sleeping with him like this. Yet, all thoughts were cut short as she heard his voice.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Echizen." Surely, he was playing it. But, to hear it from his throat sounded utterly delightful on her part.

"Goodnight…Mr. Echizen." Sakuno turned off the lamp, and drifted off to Dreamland.

* * *

She woke up only to find out it was still seven thirty in the morning (France time). She rubbed her eyes, fixed her gaze on the clock situated on the side table near her, and checked if her vision didn't fail her.

'_Woah. Unusually early eh?'_She just couldn't believe that she didn't end up waking up on a hurried state again. For that was her routine in every single day of her life after graduation. Then, it suddenly came to her senses that she wasn't in Japan, and remembered that she was still on the midst of her honeymoon. Turning around, she was surprised to see that her husband was gone. Well, she knew she wouldn't need to worry. And after all, like…she cared.

'_No. Of course I don't.'_

A couple of minutes passed when she finally decided to get up. She stretched her arms, and went to the room's balcony to experience the morning dew.

She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes on the process. "Now this is what I call vacation."

"It sure is." She was halted and had her orbs widened as she caught sight of her husband yawning enormously. _Great._He was still on his pajamas and had his hair unkempt.

"G-Good morning." And yes, she was back to her predictable habits.

"Hn."

It was safe to say they got off on a good start, seeing that conforming... and mutual atmosphere between them.

"How was it?" The question was random. And she knew it.

"How was what?" And it was immediately answered by another, together with his ever infamous smirk.

Sakuno suddenly thought that what she meant didn't reach the tennis prince's. And yeah, taking her words back sure was extremely late. "W-Well I meant your sleep…n-not anything—"

"Oh." Ryoma replied casually. "Well, it was nice, except for your incessant snoring." He continued, never letting his smirk dwindle.

"I-I wasn't!" She impulsively stomped her foot out of utter embarrassment. She's obviously aware that he's lying, given the smirk of his, yet getting pissed was the first to come to her.

"I-If I didn't know," as she was totally mortified, she tried to avenge herself. "Y-You're a b-bed wetter back then." Yet, she hauled a deflated sigh when she noticed that Ryoma wasn't provoked at all. Instead, he's laughing.

'_Ryoma-kun? Laughing? Highly unlikely.'_Well, for her seeing Ryoma laugh his heart out was certainly a first. And she couldn't help but to let her fury slip through. It was worth her ego to see him smile, even just for a matter of seconds.

_RING!_The phone's sudden noise both caught their attention.

"I'll get it." Then Sakuno rushed through the balcony's door to get the phone.

"Hello?" she began, yet still wondering who the caller was.

"_Sakuno!"_And the high-pitched voice possessed by its owner told who exactly the caller is. _"It's me Tomoka!"_

"Oh. Tomo-chan. What a sudden call. Something happened?"

"_How rude. I was going to ask you how your first night together was."_There was an obvious displeasure on her tone. _"How was it?"_

"Fascinating. Intense. Passionate." Sakuno then raised a brow for the words she just spitted were the least she could think of.

"_Kya! I knew you'd come through! You must thank me and An-chan for the nightgown. I bet he drooled seeing you with that eh? Aww…I could imagine Ryoma-sama drooling and—"_

"I got you." Sakuno admitted, not wanting to get her best friend caught up with her huge imagination. "I was playing, okay? He didn't even take a second glance on me. We only slept on the same bed that's all."

"_Eh?"_ Sakuno thought she heard Tomoka mumble mental curses on the other line._"Tch. Such a meanie. Bursting my bubble like that…"_Tomoka replied in disbelief.

"Aww…I'm sorry." Sakuno tried to sound as sympathetic as she could. "Oh, and yeah, thanks for the…err, nightgown."

"_Well, anyway, I was hoping I'd be the first to give you the good news."_

"Good news?" Sakuno asked with absolute bewilderment. Did Tomoka just had herself a baby? Or…An's getting married? Or…

"_Kya! You and Ryoma-sama we're on the newspapers' front pages just now! I got it this morning. Ryoma-sama's pretty fast eh? Doing something like that. But, hohoho… your kiss is, fantastic. And oh…"_Sakuno didn't want to hear the news anymore, enough said.

She knew it. She just do. Well…_shit_.

'_Great…just great.'_She would be more than willing to be buried alive right then and there.

**TBC.**

(1) Time difference and Japan and France— Tokyo, Japan is 7 hours ahead Paris, France (Ryoma and Sakuno's Honey moon =P)

(2)The Chocolates— A popular J-pop idol group composed of girls in the PoT anime series; used to be idolized by Kikumaru Eiji during junior high days (Refer to Prince of Tennis- Episode 135: Kikumaru's Vacation-or something like that-). We just put them for easy identification, rather than inventing some weird group names. XD

Travel from Japan (Narita International Airport) to France (Air France) is 14:30 hours at most. –these pieces of information are for clarity and additional stats. Hope you wouldn't mind.


	11. First Times Are Everything

**XI.** _First Times Are Everything_

"I'll…I guess I'll call you back, Tomo-chan."

"_Why? I haven't told you the details yet! Sakuno! I—"_and there, the line was out.

"Now, look what you've just done." Sakuno deepened her brows and she was aware it was getting deeper by the moment.

"Hn?" Ryoma casually answered as he got back from the balcony.

_Three…Two…One, and…_

_Snap_.

Patience? Gone.

"Don't 'hn' me. Everything was written in papers!" she grumpily exclaimed. It was as if she would explode hearing herself saying 'papers.' And to think it was her first, if ever. "Hail, my privacy's totally doomed." She uttered some more in complete sarcasm. She really did _love_her privacy. And when you say _love_, it should be, and would always be taken into consideration no matter what.

"Where did that come from?" His question infuriated her more. He, firstly, should know where those come out.

Yet, she tried to calm herself and answered in a placid manner. "From Tomo-chan. She told me that she—oh, wherever she found those, who cares?" and there, she just snapped. "Where do _you_ think that came from, huh?"

"Figures." He wasn't surprised, really. The media was one thing not one person could handle. But, to be honest, he was shocked more by the reaction she had just made. He was quite certain she did know even a thing about it. "Didn't I tell you everything would exactly follow after?"

"Ugh. Jerk!" She totally forgot she just married a multi-billionaire. _The_Echizen Ryoma. A renowned tennis player. An icon. A _hot_bachelor…

"I'll take that as a compliment." He didn't seem to care one bit with his wife's dilemmas. He was having fun, actually.

'_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'_She could hear those words swimming freely across her entire consciousness._'Heck, you just forgot what you've entered, Sakuno.'_

"You just couldn't have done it in the first place." But now, her pride wouldn't just let her give in.

"Oh, yeah," He couldn't believe she was _that _numb not to mind the consequences. "…and just answer that indeed it _is _a shot-gun marriage? Choose your pick." He suddenly came across those "gold digger" and "bitch" thoughts he had on their way. It was indeed more…troubling than the one they were arguing about at the moment, as far as he was concerned.

"It could just be a simple 'no'! What could be hard in that?" Sakuno was trying to decipher on why Ryoma was being difficult at this.

Well, simple. If there's a 'no,' there should be a 'why' question next to it. And, _really_, Ryoma could endure numerous, long tennis matches than those inquiries. "I don't have time for explanations. Let them think what they want." He replied bluntly, though his _main _reason was yet to find out, as he thought.

"Ugh." She knew very well that her patience had entirely snapped, but anyway, she tried to sound calm. "Haven't you thought of what would happen next?"

"Of course I do." There was some confidence behind his answer.

"And not minding all those privacy-destroying schemes?"

"It's all part of it. You don't have to be so shocked." He looked at her intently with an obvious 'duh' on his tone.

"As I thought, marrying you was… was the worst idea I could ever think of." She suddenly blurted out. But, somewhere inside her, was the guilt battling the very words she just uttered.

"Yeah." He conceded nonchalantly. "Hm, but come to think of it…you just did." In her perspective, Ryoma wasn't infuriated at all about the matter. He seemed as if he was…enjoying it.

She felt insulted at the thought. _'Is he playing on me?'_

"Ugh, this is ridiculous."

"You should have thought that before." His 'sparring' of taunts with his father and brother wasn't a bad idea after all.

_Silence._

Moments later, the sudden tapping of the door gained both their attention, enough for their fight to be on ceasefire. And without words, Sakuno headed to the door. Ryoma nonchalantly gazed at her retreating back, not even bothering to greet their uninvited guest.

"Oh," she then saw a familiar face behind the door she just opened. "Philippe-san, just in time." It wasn't that she _really_wanted to see the very person standing in front of her. It just so happened that he provided a rift on the current feud lingering inside the suite. Sakuno smiled at his hesitated expression, hiding the building feeling of unease on her stomach.

"I was thinking maybe I could share breakfast with you this morning, _madame_." He stated with his awfully accented Japanese. "Oh, and drop the honorifics. We're in Europe, after all." She stared the young lad in silence, and then realized she wasn't in Japan. She felt the urge to bang her head in the nearest wall she could get.

"Are you feeling alright?" Philippe glanced at Sakuno's dazed face.

"Huh?" Sakuno snapped out of her reverie. "Oh! Wh-What was that again?" Sakuno awkwardly smiled at the lad in front of her, trying to bring the nauseating thoughts about Ryoma on the side.

"I was asking for your company for breakfast." Philippe smiled once more, amused by Sakuno's antics.

_Share? Breakfast? No way._ Ryoma felt like the lad in front of his wife do deserve some newly-bought tennis balls for sticking his nose in.

"What are you doing here?" He then retorted even before he could think of more decent ways to say what he just uttered.

"I was thinking, maybe, if we could have some coffee?" the young man offered, though he really felt that he wasn't such in a good time.

"Sure th—"

"You'll stay." Ryoma glanced icily at Sakuno's direction, trying to prove his point. "She'll stay. Sorry. This isn't such a good time." _Go, before I'd let you swallow my twist serve—_the exact translation of what he said_._And in Sakuno's point of view, she didn't feel like her husband really felt sorry or meant what he had said. _Typical Ryoma-kun_.

"Oh, then maybe I should—"

"No, don't listen to him." Sakuno insisted and focused herself on talking with her new foreign acquaintance. "He just got up on the wrong side of the bed."

_Girls. _Heck, someone like her really was unpredictable, as much as Ryoma hated admitting it. One moment, she was damn pleasant and stuttered like crazy, and the next thing he knew…_poof_. He once thought that change was a gradual, steady process. But then, Sakuno's altering personas made him think otherwise. He concluded it was because of what he heard a woman (probably his mom) could often have: their_PMS_. Though, he was not sure what that meant. _Oh well._

"Oh." Philippe wasn't that dumb not to notice the little "lover's quarrel" between the two. "Well, are you sure?"

"Shall we go eat? Hell, I'm starving." She ignored the lad's query, for she was avoiding her line of sight to catch her husband's face, 'cause for whatever expression it has, it would surely intensify her anger more.

"Am I interrupting something?" Philippe couldn't help but ask. He could see Ryoma was practically stabbing him mental daggers. And, it wasn't that easy to ignore those. Oh, and if those were real, his corpse would be found soon enough.

But sure, Sakuno was damn talkative today. She was on her angry state, and asking irrelevant questions such as that wasn't going to help in any way. "No. Now, can we please just go?"

* * *

"Is there something you want me to know?" Philippe started before he took a bite on his French bread.

Sakuno glanced at Philippe while munching on her croissant. "Nothing in particular, why?"

"Well, I was wondering..." he had to come clean. After all, he was damn innocent about it. "Are you and your husband fighting?"

Sakuno had to hide her agitated expression. And with a "No." as a reply, she thought it would be enough.

"You know? You two really don't look like an ordinary couple to me." He commented.

_You have no idea._

"Really?" she lied; it was all clear to her senses that indeed, they haven't been an ordinary couple…in many ways. "Haven't thought about it that much." With that reply, she was positive that she would vomit later on.

"Ah, I see." He was getting impatient. "So…you're in your honeymoon maybe?" She just nodded in response, too busy chewing her bread.

"Aren't you supposed to be having your…say, 'alone time'?" She was thinking that the man's being way too nosy with her personal life, yet she didn't want a rebuttal at the moment. It was all part of the show anyway. _Their_ show.

"Who cares? I don't want some news on the newspapers again."

"Newspapers?" The young lad repeated with a confused tone. _'Isn't this the easiest way to get in those?'_

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, problems will not be solved if not settled." He leaned forward, obviously happy about where the conversation was going.

Sakuno shrugged her shoulders and slumped on her chair. "It's not true, anyway. All of them. Fake, that would be the exact term."

"What is?"

"All. All of it." Sakuno grabbed on her second croissant.

Unknown to her, the young man pushed the 'stop' button of his little recorder inside his right pocket, and his insolent smile was the very proof that he'd gotten some interesting things.

* * *

"Psch. Sakuno's such a meanie." Tomoka irritably exclaimed after hanging the phone up.

"Why? Is something wrong?" An shouted from the kitchen.

"She won't give me anything. Their first night together, on how Ryoma drooled seeing her with the nightgown, and the—ugh…disappointing, really." Tomoka made her way to the fridge, clearly ready to chug a bottle of soda.

"Oh Tomo-chan, give her some life, for crying out loud." An walked towards her, pulling the bottle from her mouth and gave her a glass. "And here, use this."

"I want to have some _first-hand details_. _First-hand_, 'ya hear that? It's not worth listening to Ryoma-sama's father, really."

"Whoa." An's eyes widened, but conceded anyway. "Well, you're right. Echizen-kun's father can be really intimidating at times."

"An, that's an understatement, you know." Momo interrupted as he eyed the soda on An's dainty hand.

"Nah," Tomoka frowned as she remembered the conversation she had with Nanjirou. "He's just prone to exaggerating. And all that man ever wanted was to get his son a baby. My, my." No, no. Not prone. The old man's sure _is_ crazy about that kind of stuff.

"Hah, well, aren't you?"

"_Mada mada dane_." Tomoka replied imitating Ryoma's demeanor of saying it.

* * *

Great. _Just great._His wife was with some…man. A _young _man, who hadn't even been on par with his. But then, as he thought, this wasn't something to him. To begin with, why would he care? When all that had been laid out were stupid lies? Let her do what she wants! Let her flash to the public that she's out dating another guy when she should be locked here in a room with him doing—_bad thoughts, Ryoma. Bad thoughts._

"Oyaji's getting into me." Ryoma sat on the couch, depriving his precious stupor as he stared at the side table. _She's going to pay for this._Ryoma then stood up, grabbed his keys and went straight to the door._She's going to pay for this, hard._

"Oh, Ryoma, we were just having our—" Ryoma cut Philippe's phrase midway, and not even sparing one glance to his wife's companion. Instead, he looked straight to Sakuno, who seemed not to care one bit.

"C'mon," Ryoma blandly stated, grabbing Sakuno's wrist in the process. "We gotta go."

She freed herself from her husband's grip, yet failed miserably. "No. I don't want to." She replied childishly, and unwillingly lingered to the cup of coffee she was having.

"I don't have time for this."

"Neither do I."

Ryoma glared at her. "Stop acting childish."

"That's _my_ line." Sakuno fired back.

"And, I say, we should go." Ryoma knew she was trying his patience, but sure, it wasn't going anywhere. Granted, it wasn't going to help her in any way.

_Thank you, tennis. _Ryoma forcibly stood her up and carried her like a sack of wheat. Sakuno gasped as he lugged her effortlessly with one hand, not anymore paying attention to the other guy who was left transfixed on his chair.

* * *

"Ow! You—l-let…would you let me down?" and there, she started shouting, attracting the attention of many.

This was certainly amusing for the prince, as his smirk was really the proof of it. The pounding of her fists were mild, which hinted that she was not that hesitant to walk away from that guy. His smirk grew wider as that realization hit him, not minding the whispers they receive from passersby.

And after a thousand protests, in front of his Porsche, he finally let her down. Sakuno straightened herself up, and then turned to face her husband. "I want the annulment papers. Now."

He was finding it fun to see Sakuno's other side once in a while. And, a 'taunt contest' was a piece of cake after all. "Oh, now that's something new. I never thought you'd say that. Nice try."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm serious."

"So am I." He flashed his perfected smirk and gently pushed her towards the car. "Now, get in the car."

Sakuno brushed her hair off of her face and glowered at Ryoma in his smirking glory. "And just who are you to order me around?"

"Hmm…now, let me guess, your husband?" Ryoma pushed her even more, trying to jam the car open while she's trapped in between.

"I'm tried of you…your—ugh! Forget it." Sakuno pushed him for some space as she opened the door. Ryoma continued to stare at her through the window, expecting another tantrum to follow after their little dispute. Sakuno, who was currently seated and pissed, jerked her head towards his direction, trying to understand as to why he continued to stand there like a statue after the ruckus he caused in order to get her into his car.

"W-What are you staring at?" Sakuno suddenly felt conscious as Ryoma remained unmoving. Silence followed her question and as she was about to give up looking for an answer, an unexpected sentence went out of his mouth.

"You're a little less beautiful when angry, though." Ryoma's eyes grew in amusement as he saw Sakuno's flushed face. '_And, she's back.'_He then leaned forward and pecked her cheek before going inside the driver's seat.

* * *

Sakuno remained as still as a stone right after that sudden contact of skin she received from the tennis prodigy. The engine revved into life and silence continued to linger as Sakuno tried to shove her shock away.

"W-Why did y-you just do that?" Sakuno didn't mind her stutters and the redness of her face as she caressed the cheek where he placed his lips earlier.

Ryoma glanced at her spellbound façade, internally happy about his effect on her. "Just felt like it. After all," Ryoma hit the brakes and inclined forward, positioning his lips on her ear. "I'm your husband. It's time I do what I want to do with you." His smirk widened as she turned beet red.

Sakuno pushed him away. "J-Just drive." She exhaled deeply as he moved farther. Ryoma started driving again as the silence remained between them.

"Where are we going anyway?"

_Somewhere without that bastard, of course. _He couldn't hide completely his annoyance with the presence of the lad from earlier. He couldn't just totally comprehend on why he badly wanted to get his hand of that...Patrick? Or was it Pierre? Yet, of course, he tried not to say the words on his mind. "Somewhere."

"Was that the best answer you could give?"

Ryoma exhaled, feeling a little annoyed with Sakuno's intensive questioning. "Probably."

"Know what? I have one theory—no, actually, two…on why you don't practically date anyone." She held her chin then continued. "Hmm…well first, you're an insufferable, one-word-reply brat and second, you're not straight."

He grinned faintly, trying his best not to cough up a laugh, and remained his silence untouched.

Being contented by his silence and her deductions, Sakuno concluded. "See? I was right. I knew it."

The car stopped again. Sakuno looked at him in a prideful manner, trying to rub her speculation on his face. Ryoma faced her with a sneer on his face and pulled her forward. Sakuno yelped as he snaked his left arm on his waist and his right on her nape. And for the second time on that day, Ryoma kissed her. Sakuno's eyes widened as Ryoma pulled her closer and kissed her with intense fervor. Sakuno tried to push him away, which only resulted for him to grip her tighter.

_Stupid tennis grip. _Without further resolve, Sakuno gave in and savored the kiss. After a few seconds, Ryoma gently parted his lips from hers. Yet the distance between them remained an inch apart.

"Now, could that prove you wrong?" His smirk was evident. He was enjoying it.

"S-Shut up." But she couldn't help to apply what she said to herself, as she was way too embarrassed.

* * *

Finally, they had reached their first stop.

She spun around mesmerized by the beauty of the place. "Where… are we?" There, her mouth hung wide open, as she continued to admire the whole scenery.

"Flies are everywhere. And your mouth's open. It's disgusting."

"Oh." He was right. Well, he always was. "Wait, where exactly are we?"

"_Sainte-Chapelle."_ Ryoma confidently replied.

"Why'd you take me to a church?" Sakuno asked suspiciously.

Ryoma rolled his eyes and dragged her through the doors. "It's quiet here."

La Saint-Chapelle's magnificent doors were open as the couple reached its main entrance. The coronation of Mary is represented on the tympanum as the Virgin with Child decorates the _trumeau_(1). Sakuno stood transfixed at the statues adorned between the doors, until Ryoma pulled her in.

Sakuno let out a gasp as they reached the interior of the church. _This is so magnificent._The church was enormous. Beyond its doors laid an intricate picture of pure splendor. The ceiling was compromised of various arches, causing Sakuno to stare at it for a couple of minutes without moving a muscle to lower her neck. La Sainte-Chapelle's walls were embellished with stained glass paintings, which made it look extravagant during daytime. And amidst the wondrous decorations around the whole church, a large pipe organ was placed on a seven section hemicycle, wherein the choir would have been during a Holy Mass (2).

"Oh! A pipe organ!" Sakuno rushed to it like a five-year old. Before touching the keys, she looked around for someone to stop by and shake their head no, yet only she and Ryoma were the people inside the church.

Ryoma tried his best not to laugh, but failed anyway. "Why? Haven't seen one before?"

"It's not that, stupid." Sakuno tried to sound irritated, yet the smile on her face blew her façade.

"Yeah right, _stupid._" Then he held her hand and smirked with all his glory.

"Hey, have you tried dating anyone?" Her random question suddenly made the tennis prince look to her direction. "I mean, at least, if you… had thought about it." She was sure she wasn't really making any sense. But, she was taking her chances. It's not everyday they had such a peaceful atmosphere as this.

"Why? You're jealous?"

'_Ugh. A real _jerk_. I should have known. Why even bother?'_She tried not to be pissed anyway. It wasn't really worth ruining the mood. "You haven't answered my question."

"You haven't answered mine, too." Ryoma plopped his arm onto the pew in front of them, making sure that she would see his inquisitive expression.

She sighed. She silently thanked all the heavens for her ever-so-long patience. "Oh, you know what? Forget it."

Ryoma jerked his head to the side, looking at her as if trying to consider her statement. After a few seconds, he answered, "No, I haven't."

"Excuse me?" Sakuno shifted her position, clearly stunned as to what the lad had just said. '_Whoa. I never thought he'd open up,'_she thought.

"I haven't dated anyone. At least I haven't before you." Ryoma shrugged and leaned backward, proving that it wasn't of any importance on his part.

'_Whoa. Now that's something different… ohh! I feel stupid. Why did I ask that?'_Sakuno sat there, transfixed as to what had just occurred."I-I see." That wasn't something new though, for knowing him, this was to be expected.

"Emotional crap." Ryoma let his eyes fall onto the stained-glass paintings around the place. "I'm really not a fan of those." Turning his head, he showed her a look of utter annoyance to justify his word.

"I know." She didn't know, but somewhat, it satisfied her that he haven't dated anyone besides her. "Oh, yeah, by the way, uhmmm… how's your cat?"

"Hn?" She was a bit astounded that he couldn't remember even his own cat. _Poor thing._

"Karupin-chan. Know what? I'm thinking he's a bit old now—with kids." She giggled innocently. "Hmm…but I think, he would be lazy as any cat would have. I th—"

He cut her off being extremely peeved with the topic. "He's gone."

The smile on Sakuno's face had gone and was replaced by a scowl deeper than what she had earlier that morning. "He's what?"

"He died. Dunno how, dunno why. He just did."

She suddenly wished that she hadn't mentioned anything about the said cat. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Told you to shut up, didn't I?" Behind those harsh words, she knew exactly what Ryoma was feeling. The feeling of loosing something—someone. She had known that the cat had a special place in her husband's heart—a best friend maybe—even way back in junior high. Sakuno decided to recede to the silence, taking all the fresh information she had gathered. Flashbacks of what had transpired during her younger years swam like fish in water, and every memory, every joy, every pain, jolted through her nerves like wire.

"W-When was that?" She found herself eager for his reply then. Though, she still didn't know why.

"Practicing for spring tournaments back in junior high." He answered nonchalantly; though it was new he'd clearly remember a date or event.

"Oh I—" Nostalgia seeped right in and she suddenly remembered the day she regretted the most. _Spring tournaments. That was when he said those words to me. Those words that led me to forget and move on. He wasn't mad at me. He wasn't mad._

That was it. It was all a big misunderstanding.

'_All these years, I was angry _and _miserable. Angry and miserable for something silly.'_Sakuno shook her head, letting the revelation sink in.

Just then, Ryoma's phone suddenly rang, cutting all of the incessant voices inside Sakuno's head. It wasn't really driving her crazy, but she still thanked the darn phone for distracting her.

"Yes?" Ryoma lazily answered, not minding to look at the caller's ID. And there, he started regretting that he hadn't.

"Hey! Ryoma-chan! Oh, my _precious_ son!" The shrieking voice immediately told him who the caller was. Ryoma instinctively detached the phone from his ear.

"Oyaji." He muttered with utter displeasure. He wasn't expecting his father to spoil his day. But, as they say, _expect the unexpected._"Could you cut the…" Ryoma glanced at Sakuno's confused face and whispered, "Could you cut the –chan out?"

"Hohoho…I can't believe it, you're still you!" Ryoma could hear the leafing of pages on the other line. _Those blasted magazines again._

He raised one brow trying to dig some of the old man's figures of speech. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"I thought you'd going to be _tamer _when the two of you started to see heaven." Nanjirou absurdly continued his metaphors.

_Heaven? _He shook his head for unwanted thoughts. There was _no way_he would be thinking all those again. "Oh, please, I'm not like _you_."

"Heh, not like me? Ryoma, you're like every raging-hormone lad in town! When are you planning to do it eh? Tonight?"

'_No, not when the bastard's around.'_He was obviously referring to the man from—wait… did he just consider his father's suggestion of doing 'it' _tonight_?

"Haven't got anyone to pester?" Well, maybe changing the topic would do…or not.

'_Of course the answer would still be me.' _He sighed. "Get a job, old man. Make yourself useful."

"For goodness' sake, Ryoma, it's a Sunday! What's with the attitude?" Nanjirou demanded.

"Oh. Cut it out." Truly, his father's taunts could be _that _tiring.

A sigh reverberated on the other line, yet after a few seconds, Nanjirou's voice boomed again. "Okay, okay. Oh, oh, son, could I get Sakuno-chan on the line?"

"No." Sakuno gulped at Ryoma's sudden change of aura, noticing that he was not approving with what his father is trying to pull off.

"Aww…don't be mean to your aging father. Just give the damn phone." Finally, Ryoma gave in and handed his phone to his wife.

Timidly, Sakuno got a hold of it and greeted with a shy voice. "H-Hello? A-ah, Nanjirou-san?—Hai, I—a-ah, N-Nanjirou-san, I—" And there, after minutes of talking, he noticed that Sakuno wasn't comfortable at all—treating her flushed face as the undeniable evidence.

"Do you still have anything important to say?" He immediately grabbed the phone from his wife's hand, seeing that it'd made her uneasy. Though, he thought he sounded ridiculous to ask his father that kind of question.

"Yes, I do have something to ask." For a moment, Nanjirou sounded serious, and his voice looked as if he was going to say something sensible this time. _'Okay, let's hear it old man.'_

"How was the bed?" Ryoma tried not to fall flat with his father's query. The caller on the other line then barked in laughter as he imagined a "blushed" face of his son with the question. "Ha ha! What? Oi oi, Echizen Ryoma, haven't got any _good news_ to tell me? I was sure I told you all I know about—" Ryoma chose to cut the line out. It was irritating, and…_awkward._It reminded him of the Kama Sutra magazines that Nanjirou _bothered_to send, and…well, which happened to literally torture his wife at its contents.

"S-Stupid calls?" Sakuno decided to butt in, and couldn't help but to give her one conceding nod. "I had one, too."

"What did he say to you?" He suddenly asked, for he knew his father was up to no good.

"Nanjirou-san? Oh—" _'Take care of my son, will you? And oh, just so you know, he's a vir—' _She tried shoving away the thoughts of her and her father-in-law's conversation. "A-ah…oh! It's nothing, really. He was just asking how are…we."

Ryoma then eyed her suspiciously.

Sakuno bolted up straight, not wanting to stare at Ryoma's piercing glare. "L-Let's just see that pipe organ." She squeaked in fake excitement, attempting to forget their previous conversations with Nanjirou.

Ryoma followed her suit, knowing that she was doing this to avoid the awkwardness from Nanjirou's sudden interference. Sakuno hit a few keys, a smile starting to grow on her lips as the pitch goes higher with every press. She then looked at him with a carefree grin plastered on her angelic face, which took Ryoma completely off-guard.

"Here," she said as the gentle smile across her lips wafted on.

He, in return, looked her intently, with a confused face. "What?"

Sakuno rolled her eyes and situated herself on the stool. She provided enough space for him and patted it as if it was the most common thing for him to do. "Sit, of course."

Seconds later, as they were both situated on the seat in front of the piano, Sakuno placed her tiny hands atop the keys. _'Don't panic. You've done this a lot before.'_Yes, and to be exact, she'd done this a lot before Ryoma came. So to speak, it was her first time playing it to him. She inhaled, enough to cease her tension for a while, and then began the piece she prepared in mind.

_River Flows in You_(3)_. _She uttered the piece's title in her head as she hit each key with caution. All of the sudden, she started to feel like she was possessed by something. Something…strange, that she too could not comprehend. But after each note was played, surprisingly enough, she didn't feel nervous at all.

On the other hand, the prince's seemed relaxed…soothed at how the maiden played. It was the first time he'd seen her like this. Playing an instrument—a piano—to be precise. He was aware that Sakuno had been teaching music; not that she'd been this good.

Then he caught of his best memory he had of her; he had known that his ability to recall things wasn't to be trusted at all. It was her twelve-year-old self, who wobbled too much, sucked at tennis and directions…the one who had her hair kept in twin braids. _She looked childish_, the first thought coming from his mind.

Yet, at that moment, seeing her play gracefully, he had a new impression with the woman beside her. A different aura—a stronger one maybe—seemed to be embracing her. Seemed like a new Sakuno.

Then all the notes were played. She exhaled deeply before turning her gaze to her husband. She took notice of his expressionless face, trying then to fathom what would he say next.

"S-So, how did it go?" She didn't know she was ready enough for his bleak comments. But she had to hear it anyway.

"Not bad. You play good." He replied dully, wearing his poker face as per usual.

_Not bad. You play good. _It was the very first compliment she had with him. All the while back then, he was complaining how long her hair was, how she badly sucked at tennis, how…

Wait. _'This is _not _good, Sakuno. You _did _not.'_ Ever since, after that day, she had been trying to shun all the feelings she had for him before. All that only brought her into the pit of agony. But wasn't this the best way to turn herself over to all those?

"_Okay, Ryuuzaki Sakuno, listen. Echizen Ryoma is not a part of your life anymore. You should ignore the things related to him, even it hurts so bad, and later live the life you wanted to have ever since."_

She then remembered the promise she made to herself. Her swollen eyes, the tears that were shed, and the emotional distress she gained back then, all did a sudden flashback. It seemed yesterday. The pain…and the stupidity altogether.

She glanced at his direction discreetly. Ever since he told her about Karupin, the spark of hope for their relationship to work out seemed to grow brighter. Inside her, underneath her uncertainties and denials, she knew that she cannot turn back. She knew that she couldn't possibly consider him as someone of no importance.

_After all, we're bound. Forever and ever._

**TBC.**

(1) - Trumeau – separating pillar or wall: a pillar or a section of wall that separates two doors or two sections of a door. Source: Microsoft Encarta Dictionary 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

(2) - This part was referring to Sainte-Chapelle found in Paris, France. To check availability of source and the pictures of the chapel, please do visit our profile.

(3) - River Flows In you - by Yiruma [thanks to astraldrop11 for the corrections :)]


	12. The Other Side

_**WARNING!**It has been decided (facilitated by the poll, thank you voters) that from this chapter onwards, Marriage Menace's **rating** would be **from T to M**. Why? Because some scenes you would be reading after this may contain things more suitable for mature readers. However, this doesn't mean that the story would **entirely** be lemon-ish / smut-ish all throughout. Merely for safety measures, yes._

_But of course, expect changes with the flow of the story, and the "mature" content of the plot, **specifically this chapter**(I'm quite serious about that). We're talking about a rated-M story after all._

**Note:**_'quote' / quote – Flashbacks_

* * *

**XII.**_The Other Side_

Sakuno groggily opened her eyes as daylight flooded the room. The heavy curtains had obscured most of the sunshine, yet its rays continued to overwhelm her face. She unsteadily eyed the new place and the foreign bed covers on her body, searching for a clock that would tell her the time of the day. Spotting the object of her interest, she reached for the gadget, only to groan in annoyance as to what was flashed across its digital screen.

_2:24 PM._Sakuno plopped her head on the pillow again, too tired to sit up. '_I never knew that I slept that mu—'_"Ow!"

A sudden sting crept onto her thighs, numbing her legs. Confused with the unexpected pain she was feeling, Sakuno led her hands beneath the sheets to rub her aching limbs, only to discover one thing.

She was naked. Completely...naked.

An audible gasp escaped her lips as she grasped the covers tightly around her petite frame. She then scanned the place, only to be reminded that this was _not_ the hotel room she and Ryoma were staying at the moment. Feeling dizzy, she looked for her clothes, only to spot her pants on the door knob and her bra dangling on the lampshade. Other than that, her other pieces of clothing were no where to be found.

'_Goodness! I can't even find my underwear!'_ Sakuno thought with a blush.

'_Be calm, Sakuno. You did_not_just have done something with a stranger,'_Sakuno took deep breaths. '_It would be better if you will look for the rest of your clothes and leave this place at once.'_

Yet as Sakuno was about to spring out of the bed, a muscular arm encircled around her waist. She then yelped in surprise as the stranger beside her pulled her closer, his tousled green hair was all she could spot as the unknown man buried his face on the crook of her neck. Sakuno could hear his faint groans and subtle snores as his breath continued to tickle her nape.

Sakuno laid there, completely rigid, not knowing what her supposed next move would be. She desperately tried to pry the man's arm away, only to have him hold her tighter and his lips grazing her neck. The blush on her now scarlet face intensified, taking her whole face and half of her neckline.

'_This is embarrassing! Not only did I do something with a man who I don't know, I can't even get away!'_Sakuno fidgeted, only to lead her efforts of escape to nowhere.

Sakuno sighed in defeat, not knowing what else is there for her to do. She was now trapped in the arms of a green-haired stranger, who was currently—

'_Wait, green hair?'_Sakuno's eyes widened. She whipped her head onto the man sleeping beside her, only to confirm her suspicion.

"R-Ryoma-kun?"

* * *

At the same moment, two hazy golden eyes snapped open, surprise clearly visible as it saw the person who was beside him.

"Sakuno?"

Sakuno watched in fascination as a blush crept on Ryoma's face as the situation dawned out to him. He _clumsily_ scanned for his clothes, only to find his brown boxers on the floor beside him. Slipping it on under the covers, he then faced the stunned woman adjacent to him who have most of the covers coiled around her chest.

They stared at each other in silence, not having the courage to talk about the sudden circumstance that was upon them. Yet after a few minutes, Sakuno decided to break it.

"D-Did we… do 'it'?" Sakuno bowed her head low, her voice nervous.

Ryoma stared at her even more, pondering as to how they came into this suite. Alongside those thoughts were the ones that focused on answering why they were both naked on the bed, with no memory of what had transpired before.

Mustering his remaining aloofness, Ryoma answered.

"I don't know how we end—" his response was suddenly cut as it all came back to him.

Sakuno eyed him in confusion, not knowing the reason as to why the man sitting on the far side of the bed had immediately halted his answer.

"R-Ryoma-kun? I-Is something wro—" Sakuno stopped as Ryoma raised his hand distractedly. And as he turned to face her, only his infamous smirk was visible on his face, seemingly adding a 'mada mada dane' along side of it.

After that, Ryoma stood up from the bed, glaring all the while at the bottle of whiskey scattered on the floor near the door, only for Sakuno to reminisce their little escapade right after their trip to _Saint Chapelle_.

The blush returned as the previous night's events replayed on her mind. She remembered the hotness of the alcohol on her throat and the moans she had emitted as they made their way to the bathroom. Without hesitation, Sakuno fled to the loo with the sheets hugging her protectively only to confirm her hazy recall of what she did with Ryoma last night.

Sakuno sighed as footsteps were heard behind her. She turned her head towards the man standing on the bathroom door and onto the scattered clothing lying around the bathroom floor.

"So, we did it?"

Ryoma smirked and nodded, picking up the nearest apparel which was oddly placed on the sink.

Ryoma twirled it on his finger, only to have Sakuno flush in embarrassment and rage. He then examined it with a smirk and continued to eye the woman who was seething in anger in front of him with amusement.

"I think I should keep this." Ryoma was then out of her view, with the garb sprawled on his palm. And as he was about to play with it again, a loud, quivering voice broke out from the bathroom.

"Echizen Ryoma, give my underwear back!"

* * *

Sakuno stared wordlessly at the mug of coffee laid in front of her. The sound of the shower was the only thing to be heard as she mused over her recollection of last night. With a sigh, she gazed at the bottle of whiskey laid on the floor.

'_I guess I just can't regret all this.'_Sakuno raised the coffee onto her lips. '_We are married, after all.'_

The familiar sound of her phone broke her trance. Sakuno idly pressed the receiver, not bothering to look at the screen.

"H-Hello?"

"_Sakuno-chan!"_A recognizable voice boomed from the other end of the line. _"Have my virgin of a son done something to value his manhood already?"_

The common flush entered her cheeks as she apprehended that the person on the other line was none other than—

"N-Nanjirou-san?" Sakuno held her breath. "I-I… I d-don't u-understand… wha—"

Her stutters earned fits of chuckle from the other line. _"He did it, didn't he?"_

Sakuno froze.

Another audible laugh was emitted by her father-in-law. _"Tell me all about it."_Nanjirou requested excitingly.

"E-Eh?"

* * *

"_Let's go." Ryoma led them back to the car._

_As the engine revved on, Sakuno held her gaze towards the outline of the church, thinking of the revelations that had transpired during their stay on Saint Chapelle. They drove in silence, not wanting to disturb the thoughts of the other as they made their way onto the lit streets of the city._

_Sakuno continued to watch the passing lights from distant buildings and adjacent cars, not minding her silent partner sitting beside her. However, when the identifiable building of their hotel swiftly passed by, confusion struck her._

"_Ryoma-kun, the hotel is that way." Sakuno warily eyed the driving man beside her._

_Ryoma didn't mind her at all and focused his eyes on the road. Knowing that an answer wouldn't be coming from him, Sakuno decided to ask it directly._

"_Where are we going?" No answer. "Ryoma-kun?"_

_Instead of replying, he just glanced at her direction with a glare._

_Sakuno lowered her head as Ryoma whispered something under his breath. Sakuno was not able to listen to his whole statement, yet she had heard words such as 'wedded,' 'flirting' and 'pedophile.' A tiny smile crept onto her lips as she realized that he was murmuring about Philippe and that he decided to move away from the hotel for a while in order to avoid the other man's annoying intrusions._

_Without noticing, they stopped right in front of the Eiffel Tower and its lights defiantly sparkled around the vicinity. Sakuno watched in awe as it towered before her. On the other hand, Ryoma opened the door and stepped out of the car and motioned for her to do the same._

"_W-What are we doing here?" Sakuno clutched onto his arm in order to catch his attention._

"_We'll stay here for the night." Ryoma grabbed her instead and waltzed beneath the tower's legs._

"_Stay here?" Sakuno clumsily trotted into a lift. "B-But how?"_

* * *

_Sakuno's suspicions were wiped out as they reached the topmost portion of the tower. Unbeknownst to her, the Eiffel Tower was not only an observatory—it was also a place to spend the night._

_Located near the top of the tower were a suite of rooms that were used by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel during his time. And as they entered their very own room, Sakuno couldn't help but ponder as to how Ryoma had arranged this room in an instant._

_Sakuno sat on the bed as Ryoma tidied himself up in the shower. And as she sunk into the sheets, she then felt the exhaustion setting into her system. The silken sheets, together with the patter of water from the shower, drove her body to give in and sleep, as she put aside her thoughts about how the day went. Yet as she was about to do so, a damp towel obscured her view and Ryoma's nonchalant voice rung through her ears._

"_The bath's open." Ryoma grabbed the clothes delivered by the other hotel. "I'll be on the restaurant downstairs."_

_Sakuno pushed the towel out of her face and yawned. Turning to her sides, she waved Ryoma goodbye and took a nap. At the same time, the audible sound of the door closing was heard._

_Ryoma gulped his third serving of whiskey. He was foreign to the feel of alcohol gushing on his throat, yet the situation was in dire need of liquor. He had been fortunate that the tower still had a room left, considering that he booked it just this afternoon as they were about to leave the church. Thoughts of that pedophile occurred to him as they were about to leave and the feeling of uneasiness continued to churn in his stomach with the mere thought of his clumsy approach with his wife._

'_Tsk. As if Sakuno would give that leech a damn.' Ryoma gulped another shot._

_Ryoma blinked his eyes to even his vision as he gazed at the clock hanging just in front of him. Feeling a bit drowsy after consuming too much whiskey, he then motioned for the bartender to tell him the time and for another bottle of his drink._

"_It's already 11:39 PM, sir." A man, who seemed to be of the same age as he was, shook his head in disagreement, but got another bottle nonetheless._

_Ryoma dropped a few bills on the counter and marched groggily towards the nearest lift that he could find. With another swig from the bottle on his hand, he made his way back to their suite._

* * *

_Sakuno opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She then noticed that Ryoma was still not present and the room was completely deserted. Looking at the digital clock on the bedside table, Sakuno groaned in protest and decided to take a hot shower before slipping back into the covers again._

_11:39 PM. Sakuno got up from the bed. 'Why can't I just sleep continuously?'_

_Sakuno saw the garments that were laid on the nearby table. With a huff of amusement, she brought them to her chest together with a new towel and marched towards the bathroom._

_She then opened the shower and laid her clean clothes on the rack just beneath the sink. At the same time, Ryoma entered their room in a mess, his hair tousled and his cheeks flushed from the incessant intake of the liquor that he held on his hand. Feeling vomit on his throat, Ryoma dropped the empty bottle on the floor and made his way into the bathroom albeit he heard a shriek that came from the inside._

_Sakuno stood where she was, as rigid as a corpse. Ryoma had just slammed the door open and made his way into the toilet—which was positioned beside the shower. Sakuno gaped there in shock as the prince vomited all the food that he had consumed and the smell of his gag wafted in the steamy air of the shower._

_Finally getting a hold of her muscles, Sakuno cautiously stepped back. She was fortunate that Ryoma still hadn't noticed her presence inside, especially now that she was only clad with her undergarments. Yet as she was about to wear her pants (that being the last piece of clothing to wear), luck abandoned her._

_It just had to be now. When her clumsiness took its place, that is._

_Ryoma whipped his drowsy head onto the source of the noise. Laid on the floor beneath the sink with a hand rubbing her sore head was Sakuno._

_In a shirt and her underwear._

_Ryoma smirked deviously as a blush made its way onto her face and neck as she desperately tried to stretch her shirt to cover her exposed legs. But as she tried to strain the shirt even more, it only led for him to see more of her chest instead._

_Adding the situation at hand, Ryoma's genes from his father and the alcohol lingering on his blood—he smirked._

_And his trousers never felt so tight._

* * *

_As Sakuno was about to grab the towels for cover, two strong hands pulled her in. A yelp escaped her lips as soon as another pair grazed her neck and a very obvious strain on his pants touched her thighs._

"_Sakuno," Ryoma huskily whispered, his grip on her waist tightening._

"_R-Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno tried to push him away, only to have his lips nipping on her neck._

_Ryoma shifted and placed her on his lap, the water from the shower continued to flood the tiled floor beneath them. His pants were now wet and her legs were soaked, both from the water gushing beneath them and from arousal._

"_W-What are you d-doing?" Sakuno's face resembled that of a tomato as Ryoma continued to kiss her neck soundly._

_Ryoma left her neck and eyed her hungrily; his eyes clouded with something that Sakuno couldn't put a hand on. Instinctively, she licked her dried lips only to have the prince dart his attention from her eyes to her lips._

_And right after that, he kissed her. Passionately._

_And she kissed him back with equal fervour._

_Breaking away from said kiss, Ryoma smirked and took her full appearance. Sakuno's eyes were half-closed, her cheeks flushed from the lack of oxygen and from the intense mouth battle they just had. Her lips were swollen from the nips he made and her fingers were still tangled through his green hair._

"_About time we do this." With a growl, Ryoma kissed her again._

_And the rest was history._

* * *

"Uhm...I-I can't really remember." Sakuno tried to sound convincing, only to result into stutters again.

"_What do you mean 'you can't remember'? You just had sex! That's not fair! I want the details!"_The old man was kind of disappointed that her daughter-in-law decided to use her right to remain silent, yet another fit of chuckles were heard from the other line. _"Oh, but anyway, does it still feel sore?"_

"E-Eh?" Sakuno then felt the pain again and her redness intensified. "Uhm, I-I got to go, N-Nanjirou-san."

"_Oi, wait! Tell my congratulations to seshounen, Sa—"_And the line was cut.

She detached herself nervously from her phone and decided to finish her now cold coffee, while hugging both her knees.

"Who are you talking to?" A jet of steam followed Ryoma's wet form as he reappeared from the shower.

When he was near enough, Sakuno handed him his own mug of coffee. "Your father," she stared at him and handed him his shirt next. "And yes, he already knows."

Ryoma silently cursed and put the shirt on. His father really knew him well enough and that phone call only proved this theory. He took a sip of his drink, watching the woman in front of him, busily reading a magazine.

"I never knew you were into cars." Sakuno looked up from the article she was reading and frowned at the smirk on Ryoma's face.

"Well, I-I'm thinking of getting one." Sakuno reasoned. The truth was, it was the first thing that she saw after the phone call aside from the sexy magazines wrapped in pink under the coffee table. And in order to distract herself from the tempting fantasies she had been having since Nanjirou said the word sex, she focused her attention to the car magazine that was lying on the floor.

Ryoma watched her in amusement as her brow crinkled in annoyance page after page. After all, who wouldn't when they were reading a magazine written in French—and they happened to be Japanese. Sometimes, Ryoma couldn't understand the craziness women are exploiting once in a while…or maybe, it was just Sakuno. With a chuckle, he chugged down the remainder of his coffee and grabbed hers.

"Hey!" Sakuno placed the magazine down and glared at him. "That's my cup."

Ryoma only winked at her and placed his lips on its brim, taking in the now cold beverage. He winced the moment he tasted the bitterness of black coffee and sputtered it out as hands grabbed onto the cup and shoved it away from his mouth.

Also the fact that owner of said hands was currently straddling him with a glare and coffee on her face.

* * *

Sakuno didn't understand why she crept onto his lap just to get her coffee.

It might be because of his impulsive desire to just annoy her and take her own drink that she, too, acted on impulse. After all, she was only brought back to rational thought once liquid was splattered onto her face and shirt.

And when she was about to move away from him, he held onto her buttocks—and kissed her again.

Sakuno now couldn't comprehend if she were feeling sticky because of the coffee or because of Ryoma's kisses.

"They're not answering." Momoshiro placed the phone down and eyed the others in apology.

Momoshiro was currently in Eiji's house with Inui and Ryoga. Inui kept on mumbling his annoyance, and the other three are dying because of excitement with regards to the news they have perceived earlier today.

"_Aha! I win!" Eiji laid out a King, a Queen, a Jack and an Ace and jumped as Momoshiro slumped onto the floor._

"_It's not fair." Momoshiro handed them his pair of fours and fives. Inui, on the other hand, couldn't comprehend how Eiji won once more—he's been winning six times in a row already._

"_Guys!" Ryoga's haggard breathing brought them out of their ramblings about poker and cheating. "You won't believe this! We need to call Chibisuke, now!"_

"_W-What's going on, Ryoga-chan?" Eiji asked as he led all of them to their telephone._

_Ryoga smiled wider and dialled the number that was written on the back of his bus ticket. "You'll see."_

Ryoga dialled once more, irritated that neither of them were picking the phone up. He was about to put it back and call it a day, when a grumpy, yet husky, voice answered the phone.

"Who's this?" Ryoma's icy greeting sent shivers down their spines, Ryoga chose to answer.

"Chibisuke! We were calling you for thirty minutes now! Why weren't you picking up the damned phone?" Ryoga yelled onto the receiver. "It's not good manners, you know—"

"Ryoga," Ryoma's calm answer cut Ryoga's ramblings, and any more speech ability for the people who heard him.

"Know what? I'm currently having sex with my wife." A distant yell of "Ryoma-kun!" made the man from the other line chuckle. "And picking up a damned telephone call in the middle of it isn't a good manner."

After that, the line went dead; the only sound to be heard inside the Kikumaru residence was the furious scratching of a pencil against paper.

* * *

Ryoma could feel the sun's heat radiated on his face. Groaning, he moved away from the windows, not bothering to feel the empty side of the bed he was leaning onto. Contrary to what others believed, the tennis prince isn't practicing stillness during sleep; in fact, Nanjirou could vouch for the numerous cases wherein he sleepwalked and ended in the common bathroom of the Echizen residence.

That is why it is quite understandable when he fell off the bed and banged his head on the carpeted floor.

"Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno's startled cry came from the doorway and a hand tenderly massaged his swollen nape. "Are you okay?"

Ryoma gazed at the woman who held his head with care. She was deathly pale and her lips were chapped and bloodless. The image that faced him now was entirely different from the previous nights and he decided to point it out.

"You look awful."

Sakuno stared at him in surprise and smiled weakly. She had been hogging sleep for most of the day already and this might be the only time wherein she woke earlier than Ryoma. Still, her appearance was the same—she looked like a vampire.

"I'm just tired." Sakuno sighed. "Even when I slept like a corpse, I still feel tired." She lied on the bed and closed her eyes.

"Maybe you're sick." Ryoma crept onto the bed, too, and rested his arms beneath his head. He looked at his wife in amusement and slight concern.

"What made you say that?" Her brain was beginning to shut off again and Ryoma's voice interrupted her hibernation.

"You're pale. You sleep a lot. You complain of cramps and headaches." His feline eyes roamed about and he smirked. "Ah, and your breasts are bigger."

"W-What?" Sakuno blushed. "W-Why would I be sick if my breasts got b-b-bigger?"

Ryoma watched her flush in embarrassment. '_At least she's getting some color.'_

Only, it was too late when the blush suddenly died down and she paled again.

"Shit!" Ryoma cursed as vomit reached his chest.

* * *

'_This is harder than Tezuka's laps.'_Ryoma slumped on their sofa with the bag Sakuno specifically asked for him to buy. _'I didn't even know that she could be this bossy.'_

It had been two weeks since the vomit incident and Sakuno still declined to be brought to the hospital. She has been asking for chestnuts for three consecutive days and finding those around this season was difficult. When he offered her other food to eat, the common ones, like croissant and coffee, she just took a bite and went straight to the bathroom—and stayed there for twenty minutes.

He constantly forced her to go with him to the hospital for a check-up however, he topped his nagging the moment she said a string of foul words in both Japanese _and _English. Truthfully, it was pretty scary and Ryoma's instincts just told him to comply to her every whim.

A loud bang from the bathroom made him jerk his head and lose track of his musings. Sakuno's panicked appearance waltzed into the lounge and he decided to share his triumphant find of fresh chestnuts.

"Hey, I found you chestnuts—"

"I need a gallon of water." Sakuno paid him and his chestnuts no heed. "A calendar, too." Sakuno paced faster and tapped the white pen-like contraption she held. "And more of these…" She mumbled ridiculously, but Ryoma could see that she was glaring at the thing that she was holding.

Sakuno stared at him hopefully and he raised his brow. She huffed and stormed into their bedroom, bringing with her the calendar on their bedside table. She counted and counted and asked Ryoma for some water. Ryoma began thinking that, Sakuno was becoming mentally unstable as she downed liter per liter without stopping and continuously flipped through her planner and calendar. With another sigh she left Ryoma with all of her mess and proceeded to the bathroom.

Ryoma gazed at the bathroom door for a whole minute before spotting the white thing that Sakuno left on the table. He examined it and found nothing interesting. Looking through her planner, Ryoma could see a note that was written on the 22nd of February.

"Period? Must be her menstruation." Ryoma was about to close the notebook when he realized one thing.

'_Didn't we do it again on February 22? She wasn't bleeding that time.'_Ryoma grabbed the white contraption once more, hoping that he was wrong.

And at the same moment that he looked more closely at the white thing that he was holding, Sakuno came out of the bathroom with a replica of it.

There was a plus sign on his.

Ryoma looked at the woman who sat beside him. Sakuno saw the look of disbelief on his face and handed him the one that she was holding.

Another plus sign.

"Are these… pregnancy tests?" Sakuno glared at the stupidity of his question and grabbed the bag of chestnuts.

"Yes." She placed two on her mouth and one on his as he opened it for another bout of questions.

"I'm… pregnant."

**TBC.**

**FOOTNOTES:**

**EDITED BY:** Be-ya :)

In case someone might ask about Sakuno's sudden change of heart (i.e., mood swings and all that), this can actually confirm that she _is_ pregnant. Well, the symptoms of pregnancy were unusually early, but of course, every pregnant woman could undergo different signs in different timetables. But, the link that follows would suggest that Sakuno's symptoms are valid (**Source:** h t t p : / / pregnancychildbirth(dot)suite101(dot)com / article(dot)cfm / am_i_pregnant). As per Ryoma's, I wouldn't dare to elaborate. But of course, questions regarding other things (well, just as long as the answer wouldn't spoil the story to you, for even you don't want that too right?), maybe ask though PM, so we could attend to it to avoid further confusion (ah, that reminds me, send it directly to **matsukanishi09**, she's the culprit).

**Kemi**(on behalf of _matsukanishi09_)**:**First off, let me thank you for patiently waiting chapter 12 after roughly six or so months that we haven't been updating. I know. This couldn't be considered a complete compensation for the wait, so I, personally, would want to apologize for that. Another thing is the change of rating. Ah, this chapter could really tell that we've completely changed the course of the story's language…and pretty much everything. For those stunned/surprised/dumbfounded (okay, all synonymous I know), I can't blame you. I was shocked myself as I was reading this. Maybe we should take it easy the next time (Or maybe, it's just because of their 3-week long honeymoon?)? Oh, yes. Right.

Well I guess that's it! Thanks for reading, and as always, comments/suggestions keep us going. :) Happy Holidays!


	13. Hubbub

AFTER **THREE. LONG. YEARS**. HAAAAH OH FYEAH WE'RE ALIVE AND (FEEBLY) KICKING. =)) #happydance #hurray

We sure did take our time hiatus-ing, huh.

BUT ANYWAY

Thanks for _looooooooooooooong _waiting, dear readers! (Could the _long waiting _be any more emphasized haha) Oh, don't want to further delay your reading so by all means, read on!

* * *

**XIII.** _Hubbub_

All the doctors were men.

They had been back to the hospital for days now, watching the charts that bore doctors' names, and Ryoma, ever the gallant one, went over every single _French _name there was out there only to realize that none of those pansy wastelands represented a female.

_Well Giuseppe sounds feminine enough. Only with a wiggling coc—_Ryoma glared as a boy of three bumped against his leg, his hospital gown too big for his plump shoulders. The lace was loose and half of his upper body was already showing that pale, European skin of his and Ryoma, ever the gallant one, merely scowled.

"Move," he ordered and kicked the kid lightly off his boots.

He expected the kid to cry, much less call for his mother yet the thought of praising his dentist resonated above all others—for the kid was biting his leg. And those damnable baby teeth felt like a tiger's.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" His cries of pain and anger as the kid bit him raw drowned the voice of his wife who, by any chance, had the audacity to stare at him with amusement in her eyes.

From a _wheelchair_.

The kid let go after a few minutes, sticking his tongue out and lashing at him in French so swift that he dared not translate it for himself. He eased himself up from the floor and glared at his limping leg, opting just to glare at the kid as he ran away. And the moment the kid bent the corner and snuck out of his view, Sakuno dared to chuckle and tell the nurse that she can leave them alone.

"They took the necessary tests, Ryoma-kun," she said without waiting for her husband to turn, knowing that he was still annoyed for being beaten by a kid two decades younger than he was. "But there was no doctor since you said—"

"They're all men," he countered and took her out of the wheelchair, an arm wrapped around her waist while the other pressed against her belly. The gesture made Sakuno blush and smile. "We're going back."

The honeymoon extended for a few weeks more since Ryoma, apparently, wasn't that much of the neglecting husband as the papers seemed to have connived. The juice regarding his wife becoming pregnant was spilled right after a fortnight and the lingering stares brought about by nurses, doctors and patients alike was something he dared not consider to be the resolute beginning of stories that circulated regarding how he got the balls to bang his wife and knock her up.

No. That was more of a job his father would gladly take. After all, he _did _pry too much regarding their sex lives.

"I've booked the tickets," he said as he assisted her, still on the lookout for the kid with the metal teeth, not wanting to add another bout of news on the paper about him and his paternity issues. He's had enough, as it is. "We're leaving tonight."

* * *

The seat strap wasn't that easy to put on, now that her belly was swollen (an exaggeration on his part, since she was only barely past her first trimester).

Sakuno was amused with how Ryoma tried to pull the strap on himself, cursing under his breath when he seemed to find difficulty with the contraption. She had told him a dozen times that they should ask the flight attendants yet first class only permitted _male _attendants since they were the senior ones.

And Ryoma, who was currently going a fit through her sudden pregnancy, decided to act as the macho husband who was always on the lookout for monstrous men.

The giggle erupted before she even had the chance to stop herself. And soon enough, came Ryoma's scowl of frustration, his ears red from embarrassment.

"May I?" the attendant asked with a smile on his face, making Sakuno wonder why Ryoma decided to just let go of the strap and brood by the window. _Huh, _she thought as she watched her husband, not minding the attendant as he snapped the strap easily enough. _I'm getting more used to his emotions._

Maybe it was because of the hormones. Or the fact that they were officially…married. Sakuno blushed and hid her face beneath her pink scarf, trying not to remember the nights they spent cooped up within the walls of the Eiffel. Or the days, too, yet she hardly remembered the difference with Ryoma's mouth on her skin and his hands roaming all over her bod—

She blushed. And decided to just stay quiet, not noticing the way her husband's eyes seemed to note her with much amusement.

* * *

They arrived a few hours late, the airport channeling people close to nil and the conveyer belts housing a few bags left and right. Ryoma got himself a cart and let Sakuno hold it, towing their luggage and making his way out of the airport.

"Who's here for us?" his wife asked, a hand absentmindedly rubbing her belly. The gesture made his head feel a bit lighter.

"No one," he replied as he stood next to her, his hand clasped on hers as he pushed the trolley out of the airport. "I don't want any of them arou—"

"CHIBISUUKEEEEE!"

Ryoma stopped himself from vomiting the meal he last ate as embarrassment flooded his face. The few people left within the airport looked at him and pointed at the fool he calls his brother who, in no apparent reason, is screaming the stupid nickname at the top of his lungs with a board on his hand.

A board with names that he didn't even want to read.

Sakuno was flushed red in embarrassment as Ryoma dragged their trolley and his wife towards his brother, his eyes glaring daggers at the man who seemed to be rather enjoying his job. He was even waving profusely at them and when he noticed that they noticed him, he decided to change course and yell at beautiful women instead.

Ryoma considered kicking him like the way he kicked that three-year old a day ago but the teeth marks made him traumatized.

"Get the bags," he pushed the cart towards his brother and dragged Sakuno towards the old '69 Impala, opening the door and sitting himself and his wife at the back. If his brother decided to roleplay himself as a driver, then Ryoma would be _oh so happy_to oblige.

Ryoga noticed the dissatisfaction in his brother's face and smirked.

He had won this round. _Mada mada dane, Chibisuke._

The drive was long and silent and Sakuno found herself dozing off on Ryoga's car. She could feel the way the lights flickered against her face, the smooth paving of the roads calming her and the stillness inside the car lulling her into a deep sleep. She barely felt the foreign hand that touched her stomach, another one bringing her head onto a shoulder, making her more comfortable as she lay. She was already half unconscious when she heard someone chuckle and felt her pillow tense, easing her way into a crevice and snuggling close to the warmth against the chill of the night. And the moment she felt lips against her head, she knew that she was dreaming.

* * *

She woke up on a different bed.

Sakuno sat up and hoped to see the chandelier and the satins that covered their four-poster bed, the intricate Victorian wallpapers that lined the walls and the lush carpet that covered the rich wooden floorboards. She opened her eyes and imagined herself back in the lush covers of the bedroom suite she was sleeping at for at least a month, the chill of France and the smell of cooking bread wafting through her nose.

Yet she was greeted by a plain twin-sized bed and walls painted in a plain dull blue, posters from torn tennis magazines and a rack of books that covered everything to know about the sport. She blinked once, twice, and even saw a picture of a Himalayan cat, a cap strewn lazily against an old computer desk and two worn-out tennis balls with markings so faded that she couldn't even decipher what was written.

The room was small—cozy even—and narrated a life of a teenage boy. It was as if it was never used all these years; preserved in a manner that would still capture the essence of the user even if he had left.

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno whispered, knowing full well that this was his room.

Yet the owner was nowhere to be found and Sakuno, experiencing waves and waves of jetlag, could only lay herself to the covers and stare into the ceiling. She breathed deeply and smelled an aroma that was definitely his and a smile crept onto her lips.

She felt like a girl again.

* * *

"Sakuno!"

The voices made him turn, a scowl on his face. Sure, this'd be the first time since they came back from Paris, but Ryoma wasn't really in the best of moods to receive dunderheads like his friends.

Or in this occasion, _her _friends.

And yet his wife seemed too eager to talk to them and the small reassuring smile on her face was enough to keep him from shooing them away. He keenly watched as she swayed like a klutz towards her friends, scowling to himself and deciding to get himself something to drink. After all, he doesn't want to hear from those two—those friends of hers who were eager enough to hear details about their libidos.

"So, how was it?" Sakuno stared at Tomoka and An who had identical Cheshire cat grins plastered on their faces. This could not be good.

"How was what?" She decided to play dumb, avoiding their glares as she fumbled with her spring jacket.

"_Please_, don't play dumb," Tomoka glared harder as Sakuno's mouth remained shut. "Well, it _should_ be fab, I mean… you didn't have anyone to bother you for three months. And huh, I gotta say, that nightgown should _nail_it."

"Uhuh," An nodded in agreement, her eyes glazed in a misty haze. "Three _amazing _months."

"I'm feeling quite the opposite actually." Sakuno frowned and imagined her last days with Ryoma. They were far from 'amazing' on her account.

"Eh?" The two girls stopped in their tracks and their glances side-tracked towards Ryoma.

"N-Not in that way!" Sakuno could feel her neck heating up, so she tried to maintain her frown to hide her embarrassment. "It's just—I feel… tired. Incredibly tired. All the time."

Tomoka and An's eyes suddenly gleamed brighter and Sakuno could only feel chills once the Cheshire grins began to erupt once more.

"Well, he does have a great stamina during tennis…" Tomoka started and grinned wider.

"Not to mention the wild temper…" An winked wantonly and giggled.

"He really did keep you up, didn't he?" Tomoka smirked playfully and watched as the blush covered Sakuno's face entirely.

"N-No!" Sakuno shook her head violently. "W-We actually only did it twice…and I only felt tired two days after." She whispered softly and that statement made her friends leave their fantasies and observe her in a scientific standpoint.

"Now that you mentioned it, you _do _look tired." An pressed her palm against her forehead and stared at Sakuno in confusion.

"And pale too," added Tomoka. "I mean look at you! You're—ah!"

"Hey, Tomo-chan, the news!"

"Sakuno! That must mean it's really true that you're—"

"Hey hey, now hold your horses, ladies," Nanjirou halted them with a grin, then positioned himself near Sakuno and held her by the waist. _Great. And Ryoma-kun's gone too, _Sakuno sighed and smiled wryly towards her father-in-law, greatly minding his leechy hands. "Shhhh, my most favorite daughter-in-law might be experiencing... morning sickness right now. Come on, sweetheart, why not give your daddy a—ow! Hey!"

"She's the only daughter-in-law you have, Oyaji." Ryoma grabbed the unopened Ponta can he _whacked _on his father's head. "And get your filthy hands off," he continued almost inaudibly, not bothering to comment on the 'morning sickness' part when it was clearly past noon.

"Correction, Chibisuke," Ryoga intervened just moments before Nanjirou decided to extract revenge. "His only daughter-in-law _for now_."

Ryoma smirked at his brother's antics, and was actually relieved that his father suddenly left Sakuno's side in order to relish the witty remark his older brother just made.

"Dear, should we get you home? You don't look too well." Sakuno's attention was diverted from her husband, who was currently being cornered by the trio (namely Momoshiro, Tomoka and An)—possibly for some _juicy _details since she didn't have the strength to tell them that, to Rinko, as the older woman smiled at her warily, with her grandmother in tow.

She could only pull a weak smile in return as she tried to keep her balance when a sudden tug somewhere inside her made her queasy. "T-That would be lovely, thank you."

She didn't bother to hear the rest after that, as the painful sensation from her stomach grew that it started to make her uneasy on her seat.

_Great_. So she needed to stand up.

Wait.

Maybe a glass of water. Or no, a quick trip to the washroom?

"I think I'll just—"

She wasn't able to finish what she was trying to say, as everything went black and silent, while protectively hugging her tummy for any possible impact.

There was a momentary silence, and then was their turn to look pale.

"Sakuno!"

* * *

"Are you alright sweetie?" a soft voice greeted Sakuno as soon as she opened her eyes feebly. There, she could vaguely see her mother-in-law beside her, caressing her head gently with a worried expression.

_The smell…white room. Ah, a hospital. So I was brought here, _she thought, as she feebly tried to sit up as she was too weak to even speak a word.

"Don't move much, dear," Rinko continued worryingly, lending her a hand to properly sit up. "It might worsen your condition. So stay put okay?"

"Come on Rinko, you're overreacting," Nanjirou commented as he scratched his nape. "Bet she was just tired because the bed we rented turned out to be so go—ow! Hey, why are you hitting me, old hag?"

"Why, you ask?" The older Ryuuzaki eyed him. "Well, your comments are not helping. And..."

"Hey, Sakuno. How do you feel?"

"We're worried sick here. Say some!"

"Apples, dear?"

And suddenly she was bombarded with questions. But instead of answering any of them, the first thing she uttered was—

"Where's Ryoma-kun?"

"Ah, Chibisuke?" Ryoga interrupted the silence with a smug smile, now taking the other side of the bed to snake an arm on both her shoulders. "Well, the doctor called him out. 'Yanno, husband stuff. But hey, since Chibisuke and I have so much in common – I'm more good-looking, though – it will be a pleasure, my dear sister-in-law…well, you can always use my shoulders when you're tired, or—"

"Or what?" all heads turned to Ryoma who was eyeing his brother vexingly.

A you're-so-going-_down _glare was what Ryoga received next, signalling him to give his dearest sister-in-law some space. "Ho ho, Chibisuke! Perfect timing, what did the doctor say?"

_"…pregnant women are usually emotional, temperamental and spoiled, Echizen-san. And your wife is no exception to that, especially with the sensitive condition she has - more sensitive to normal cases probably due to the fact that it will be her first time being pregnant and expecting birth. Maa, for starters, just bear with the whines and complaints for now..."_

_Like I didn't know that, _he wanted to reply, but for some reason, he couldn't. Who knew fatherhood could be more difficult that any Wimbledon final matches? He felt powerless (plus immediate guilt), that everything had to be dealt by Sakuno alone, and all he could do was to provide her chestnuts when she wanted to eat one.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Ryoma replied nonchalantly to hide his internal battle, as he went beside his wife and massaged the bridge of his nose then closed his eyes after a half-relieved-half-exhausted sigh.

"What do you mean, 'nothing out of the ordinary,' Echizen-kun? The doctor talked to you for _twenty _minutes, and then it's nothing out of the ordinary? Your face screams bad news, for chrissakes! Tell us!" An gave him a series of exclamation, crossing her arms inquisitively.

"Come on tell us the details, Echizen!"

"Psch, I bet he's keeping it to himself," Nanjirou huffed after a shrug as he went to one of the couches. "Of course he feels totally guilty, which he _should _be, since it's his fault that his wife is—ow! Quit it with the hitting, old hag!"

And as everyone else continued to demand the reason of his downcast sighing, Sakuno herself turned to him and held his free hand with her nervous ones. "Is...Is there anything wrong, Ryoma-kun? Is the baby fine?"

"The baby's fine," then he looked down, avoiding any further stares like it was entirely his fault. "You're... not though."

Everyone's faces — except Sakuno — fell at his sudden announcement.

"What?"

"What do you mean? Sakuno's in danger?"

"The details! Tell us the detail, son!"

"How can you say it calmly, you heartless jerk!"

There was another sigh before he decided to recall what he remembered of the said twenty minutes. "He said something about sensitive pregnancy, further tests, and..." he paused as he got something from the side pocket of his blazer. "This."

_"Don't worry though, nine months is such a short time. And…right, _this_ might cheer you up."_

There was another silence.

But this time, it was out of awe and happiness, that even the bedridden Sakuno felt a thousand times stronger.

"Here," Ryoma let her hold the picture from her most recent test, running the back of his index finger on the tip of his nose (a sign he's nervous, which Sakuno heard from his mother). "It's almost three months old. I didn't ask for the gender yet, since the doctor said you might want to hear that first."

Sakuno's face lightened (well, who wouldn't, anyway?), as she saw probably the softest expression her husband could have while staring down the photo of their soon-to-be child. "Thank you, Ryoma-ku—"

Feeling relieved that she didn't panic with the current matter at hand, he shushed her with his index finger, gaining his infamous smirk back. "_Ryoma_. And _you _should take care of yourself."

"I am."

"Well, you should, _Mrs. Echizen_."

"Whatever, _Mr. Echizen_."

Then came several catcalls, whistles, and smugly faces.

"Oh boy, isn't it so hot in here?"

"Hey, if you guys need some alone time, we can give you that."

And it only took two to three phrases of teasing before all of them was completely shooed out of Sakuno's white room.

_Mou, Ryoma-kun._

* * *

Ryoma couldn't comprehend why he suddenly felt angry whenever someone visited Sakuno. True, she was experiencing a very sensitive pregnancy, but it just didn't make sense why everyone they knew should be making a fuss about it.

Sakuno was currently confined at the hospital since she experienced several versions of morning sickness and cramps days after they landed. Ryoma took his time to visit before; however, he devoted more to tennis practice since he missed so much due to their extended trip. But when his upperclassmen (not to mention Ryoga and his _father_ too, much to his annoyance) knew of Sakuno's situation _and _demanded to rub their filthy hands on her stomach every five minutes (Plus something along the words of "Are you alright, Sakuno-chan? C'mere so I can give my grandchild a massage! How's that?" or "Sakuno-chan, I want to know if the baby's a boy or a girl before Chibisuke! Can I touch it?"), Ryoma immediately decided to stay by his wife's side instead. Well, if anything, it was an obvious declaration of their utmost desires to irritate every living bit of him.

His impulsive protectiveness did not remain unnoticed by Sakuno, yet she still relished the fact that her husband thought otherwise.

"Echizen-san, I'm here to take a look at your progress." A _male _doctor, too young for Ryoma's liking, smiled at Sakuno and ushered the nurse to bring in the equipment. "We'll just have to do an ultrasound and we'll be able to determine how exactly your baby is doing."

Sakuno had her cheeks dipped in red the moment the doctor's hands landed on the hem of her hospital gown. Ryoma scowled as he caressed her delicate skin and raised her gown higher and higher—

"I'll do that." Ryoma grabbed the sensor and swatted the doctor's hand at lightning speed. The doctor gulped in fear of what the legendary tennis star would do if he would ever defy his wishes, and so, he nodded swiftly and asked Ryoma to lift the robe up for him.

Ryoma did not like the idea of the bloke seeing Sakuno's skin (even if it's purely professional). He grabbed the gel from the nurse and shooed the medical personnel towards the other end of the bed—where the blanket covered Sakuno's exposed stomach from view.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno pouted the moment the doctor ran through his terminologies and Ryoma rubbed the cool gel on her stomach. He smirked evilly and pinched her on her pelvis, making her yelp and shudder on the bed.

The doctor and the nurse were only allowed to explain the images formed on the screen above their heads. Ryoma did the ultrasound himself and glared whenever the doctor's slimy hands tried to probe the sensor out of his firm grip in order to do his assigned work. It didn't budge from Ryoma's hand, though.

"Why did you do that for?" Sakuno calmly asked as the fidgeting medical pair exited her room. "That wasn't very nice."

Ryoma ignored her question and picked up a stray magazine that was placed on the bedside table. He frowned when he realized that it was one of his father's and threw it at the open window. Sakuno lightly glared at him for his childish antics and decided to sleep in since he wasn't paying attention to her anyway.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at Sakuno's sudden shift in behavior. She had her back facing him and was implying that she was already asleep. Being him, he regarded this as one of her foul moves to get him talking out of guilt; however, he had thought of a much greater plan than what she had in mind.

He climbed on the bed with a smug smile, as her body turned rigid. With his head supported by his hand, he watched carefully as Sakuno tried to squeeze her eyes and mouth shut, albeit the obvious awkwardness she felt because of Ryoma's close proximity. The blush was enough proof of that for him. Ryoma then placed his free arm around her waist and let it rest on the underside of her breast. Sakuno tried to shift farther, but his hold was tight.

"Hey," he whispered right into her ear and nipped it.

"The stupid doctor said that sex during pregnancy makes a healthy baby."

Sakuno gasped at his words and looked at him with mortified eyes. Ryoma relished her expression and chuckled darkly, his teeth grazing at her nape.

"We don't want a deformed child now, do we?" He pinned her on the bed and silenced her right after she squealed.

He really _is _Nanjirou's son.

* * *

"Echizen-san, I know you're in a stable condition for now, but don't strain yourself too much. You're currently, as I always say, in a vulnerable stage, and I would appreciate it if—"

"I understand, sensei," Sakuno replied reassuringly while wondering how many times she had heard of the warning. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

"Well, make _sure _you do."

After two weeks of constant tests and observation, her doctor, as per her request, reluctantly released her from the hospital—with the reason that she wouldn't be alone since her in-laws insisted they stay inside their household until the baby's born. But due to her current state, she was prohibited to continue her current work, even pointing out that she didn't even need to work in the first place, since her husband was a superstar after all.

It was a bit of depressing. She loved her workplace, her music class, and teaching itself. She actually felt a bit bad that she's nothing but sleep and feed herself. Not to mention Ryoma complied on the doctor's advice, deciding not to be against the idea.

That said, there wasn't anything to do, so Rinko decided to teach her several pregnancy do's and don'ts, which she preferred more since reading pregnancy books were making her tense than she already was. Her condition turned out to be better outside the hospital walls, but she still thought it was better that she was doing something apart from watching TV while opening her new bag of chestnuts ("I'll just go get some ingredients for tonight's dinner, dear. Why don't you call Ryoma and ask what time will he go home?").

After putting her phone down (Ryoma wouldn't be home 'til evening due to some arrangements, he said), she turned the television off with another sigh.

_I wish... _

"Ryuu. za. ki. sen. sei."

_Oh, did the gods answer her prayers just now?_

"E-Eh?" the splitting image of her best friend appeared in front of her as soon as she opened the door.

"Yuri-chan? And…"

And behind said girl, was her whole homeroom class. "Everyone! What are you doing here?"

"Greetings, Ryuuzaki-sensei. Here's the gentleman to save the day, Ji—"

"Aaaah will you just _shut up_, Jinta? Your voice is irritating me!"

"Hah, look who's talking. Isn't your voice the loudest?"

"Shut up! Like I need your opinion, idiot!"

"I should be the one saying that, idiot!"

"Mou, Jinta-kun, Yuri-chan, stop that."

"Che, annoying."

And before she knew it, her face donned a nostalgic smile, as the kids brought her back to the times when _she _was on junior high, watching Horio and Tomoka fight about the shallowest things, and her, _well_...

"How are you, sensei? Everyone else says you're quitting!" Yuri interrupted her train of thoughts. "Is it true?"

"Well..." The disappearance of her smile from earlier answered the child's query, but regained it soon after. Maa, she figured should let each of them know how she appreciated the sudden visit instead.

Though she couldn't help but ask, "You should be all at school, what's happening?"

"What else?" Tsukiyo crossed his arms in front of his chest, with his eyebrows scrunched as if he wasn't part of it all, "Of course we dit—"

Jinta laughed nervously as Yuri covered Tsukiyo's mouth, then followed suit. "Ohohoho. Sensei, sensei, _chill_. There had been a…"

"A...uh, the principal shortened classes for today!"

"R-Right, right! Because of the Foundation Day tomorrow. We finished early so we thought we could drop by," Jinta finished, followed by a silent "Whew, that was close" after. (The principal specifically asked them the secrecy, plus Echizen Ryoma's autograph, in exchange for a half-day.)

Albeit a bit unconvinced from the class's sudden behavior, she decided to shrug it off. (Since try as her might to hide it, she wanted to check up on how everyone's doing, too.) "I see. Um, would you like to come inside? I'll make you something."

"Yatta!"

Though, she silently hoped that her mother-in-law wouldn't be surprised from the sudden boom in her kitchen when she came back from shopping.

* * *

"I had fun today, thanks everyone."

Indeed she had, since she miraculously didn't fall ill while entertaining each of her student's questions, which came in every form of "Is your…husband around? He's so handsome! Can I have his autograph?" possible.

"I hope you come back soon, sensei! We'll miss you!"

"Same here. Take care on your way home!"

With one last wave, everyone of them slowly dispersed from her front porch, with the exception of the stoic boy, who has his cap covering his face, hands on both his pockets.

"Hey, something wro—" she was only able to react after the kid pulled back from kissing her cheeks, turning beet red immediately after. "Tsu...kiyo...kun?"

And "Payback...," was the only thing she got out of everything he said, feeling that she held her breath until the young man raised his hand and bid his goodbye with a timid (but still deep and stoic) "Ja."

* * *

The smell of coffee and paper wafted through the entire building that morning, just like it had always been. Certainly, for it was a newspaper publishing company after all. The atmosphere was unwelcoming, and with busy bees around, it wasn't really the place for smiles.

Yet, people started buzzing as a certain blond waltzed through the hallway with ease.

"You can't just go in there," a woman with round glasses stopped the man as he was about to enter a secluded room. "Do you even have an appointment with boss to—"

"Chill, babe," the blond said, touching the woman's chin with his left hand. "Your boss wanted _me _to go here."

"I'll go call him, wait—hey!"

The owner of the secluded room is on his late forties. His mood had been sour for the past weeks, since their business turned out to be down, which was quite the opposite of what he expected. The last scandal their paper exposed received negative feedbacks from the people and the press, that he couldn't help but to crease his brows as he read the published paper.

In simpler terms, he was so _dead_.

"Old man, we need to talk."

"Sir, I tried to stop him, but—"

"It's okay," the man affirmed, as he faced his secretary and raised a dismissive hand. "You can leave us alone."

"Right away, sir." And then the door closed, his visitor sat himself comfortably on one of the room's couches.

"This better be important. I don't really have much time to waste with anything rubbish today. And, _really_, I wouldn't bail you out from jail in case you'd start another libel case, _again_," the boss stated with utter sarcasm as he sipped his cold coffee and turned a page of today's paper, without even bothering to look to the direction of his intruder.

_'Tsk, what an attitude. So this is what you get when you've got something big on your hands?' _his guest muttered under his breath, yet his conniving smirk remained untouched.

And sure, he welcomed himself well. "I've got headline," he said as if foreseeing that this _headline _he was talking about would sell like pancakes.

But the other, which he referred as his boss, just replied a reluctant expression.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Who would? You've been disgracing this company since who-knows-when. Don't tell me—"

"I've got evidence, how's that?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Come on. Do or die old man. I heard you're in a pinch. It wouldn't be lovely for you now, would it?"

"Watch your mouth, my day's ruined enough."

And as if on cue, said guest instantly got his hand on his pocket and put out a small gadget which, as he deduced, would be his boss's instant object of interest. "Well then, I'll hear your complaints after _you _hear this."

The older man then lightened his expression as soon as he took notice of the gadget. "Now we're talking. _This _better be good."

"Oh, _you bet._"

**TBC.**

Hee hee and you've just seen glimpse of Daddy!Ryoma. ;)) /jumping up and down for reaching 5k-words target

Marriage Menace would probably reach its end in three chapters or so (though let's not hope for another three years for the next update, yeah?). Again, we sincerely apologize for the long wait, but we hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, reviews are very much loved and appreciated! Thanks for the readers who've come this far with us! ;u;

(Kemi: The muse was a gift for my birthday. /just turned a year older last April 4th haha Thanks dear co-writer~)


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